


Enthusiastic

by Mousieta



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bigotry & Prejudice, Body Worship, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Smut, Tentacle Sex, Tentacles, hongbin has a temper, hyuk is a bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-05-19 23:01:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19365511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mousieta/pseuds/Mousieta
Summary: Jaehwan is from the furthest rim of the galaxy, awkward, but well meaning and about to begin a year long internship on the fabled research vessel Jellyfish. Unfortunately, he immediately gets on the bad side of Hongbin who also happens to be the most beautiful boy he's ever seen.Or, the one where Hongbin has tentacles and a temper and Jaehwan is into it.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So the prompt was originally given for the dyNamite Vixx fest that was supposed to run earlier this year. I signed up and snagged the prompt as soon as I read it. Unfortunately, the fest was not to be but I kept my prompt. Without a deadline the story grew to be much more than the original pwp I'd first envisioned. 
> 
> If the prompter ever stumbles upon this fic, I hope they comment and I hope it was what they wanted. I absolutely adored writing this.
> 
> As always, much thanks to my amazing beta, Aeryn. I literally could not have done this without her and the support of my cheerleader Sam.

“Biiiin!” Hyuk’s voice preceded him as he ran through the small flat they shared. “Hongbin, Hongbin Honnnngbiiiiiin.”

Hongbin groaned and rolled over in his tiny bed then scooched as tight against the wall as he possibly could. Sure enough, Hyuk didn’t bother with lights, or even checking where Hongbin was, as he ran into the room and dove into the bed. 

“We got our letters,” Hyuk said and Hongbin felt the edge of Hyuk’s tablet rest against his arm. “I’m gonna open yours first.”

“Hey open your own.”

“I can’t understand you when you talk into the pillow so I’m gonna guess you said yes.” There was silence as Hongbin abdicated from fighting him and Hyuk opened their letters. 

“Whelp,” he said after a while. “We both got in!”

“Yay, now go away and let me finish my nap.”

“No, now I gotta stalk all the other people that got in.”

“You know,” Hongbin said, lifting his head from the blankets so he could speak clearly. “It’s got to be an abuse of power for you to use my sisters log-in information to snoop around. We could probably get in trouble for that.”

“Whatever, I know you’re curious too. Not my fault they never took her off the system when she left last year, not my fault she gave you her tablet without wiping it.” 

There was a crunch and Hongbin half-sat. “Are you eating in my bed?”

“Ohhh look at this one, oh he’s so your type.” 

“Shut up,” Hongbin said but he peered at the tablet anyway and saw a cute boy’s face over a Jayang University profile. 

“Too bad he’s from the sticks,” Hyuk lamented, “he’s probably all backwards and ignorant. But then, you kinda like ‘em dumb, don’t you?”

Hongbin gave a strong shove with all his limbs and Hyuk rolled to the ground. The tablet clattered to the floor along-side him and Hongbin eyed it. Lee Jaehwan looked up at him with a sharp, angular face and dark, almond eyes, hair a dirty blond falling over his forehead. He  _ was  _ very pretty, and very much Hongbin’s type. 


	2. Chapter 1

Jaehwan inhaled then exhaled around the fluttering of nerves in his stomach. When that didn’t do anything to calm them he tried again. Then again. 

“It’ll be fine. You’re gonna do great,” he told himself when breathing only pulled the anxiety from his stomach up into his heart. He flexed his fingers and gave his hands a shake then growled into the emptiness of his shuttle, pacing in an attempt to release the pent up nerves. 

Unfortunately, the transport ship was tiny, just as big as needed to scuttle people to and from the space station and its adjacent moon. At most he could manage four steps before turning around. He was basically going in circles. 

He pumped his fists. “You’re the best Jaehwan, they’re all going to love you!”

First days were always the most nerve wracking. His first day of school he’d cried into his  mother’s legs. He’d been five, of course! It was ok for five year old to cry. The crying has lasted until he’d pulled back enough to realize he’d wet the front of his mother’s pants, and so he’d walked into his classroom giggling that ‘mommy peed herself’.

This was not the first day of school, but his first day as a research intern aboard the  _ Jellyfish  _ was nerve wracking enough that he  _ did  _ feel like crying. 

He’d never seriously believed he’d actually get in. They only took in a few dozen interns. Only that, in the whole galaxy. There were other research vessels, sure, but the  _ Jellyfish  _ was  _ the _ research ship. Some of the most groundbreaking research was done on its deep-space journeys. It’d been a flight of whimsy that possessed him to even bother applying.

Most internships were seasonal things, (a few months, max) and Jaehwan’s university didn’t even have internships as a requirement (one of the benefits of being a small university in a sleepy arm of the galaxy). Benefit or a drawback, it all depended on perspective and at that moment his perspective was of a large oblong-shaped ship growing steadily larger in the viewfinder of his shuttle. 

He had to sit down, he could barely breathe. 

He’d not been able to breathe when he read the words ‘Accepted’ on his letter. His career advisor had erupted into tears and he’d sat, in shock, on the nearest horizontal surface - an end table only sturdy enough to support a plant - and toppled over onto his ass. 

Jaehwan legs bounced a steady rhythm where he sat, on the small bench seat provided in the center of the shuttle. 

His scores were at the top of his program - which he figured was just a small pond for his big fished self - but apparently they really  _ were  _ top marks. The application he’d put almost no thought in, laughing to himself at his audacity as he applied, had been one of the top dozen in the galaxy. The thought made him laugh out loud, not for the first time. 

With the research and connections he made here, he’d be set up for life. Even after he returned to finish his exobiology degree he’d always be able to put this year down on future job applications. He may even get a research paper credit or two, be mentioned in footnotes or something. It would definitely be worth it.

He looked down to the hands he’d clasped over his knees, to the small band of whiter skin on the ring finger of his left hand, where his couple ring had sat for three years. The ring was gone, but the pale, smooth skin remained. 

Youngjin had been reluctantly supportive, congratulating Jaehwan with smiles and cheer that never quite reached his eyes. Youngjin. His boyfriend.  _ Ex-boyfriend _ , his brain reminded him. 

“I can’t do it,” Youngjin had said, only a week ago, days before Jaehwan boarded the long-range travel ship that took him from their back-water planet to Epraxis, the galaxy’s central hub and the  _ Jellyfish’s  _ home dock. A year  _ was _ a really long time to be apart. Jaehwan understood, really he did. 

He took in another deep breath around the renewed pain in his chest, heartache had killed the fluttering of nerves. He wiped at the corners of his eyes and stood, squaring his shoulders before setting about to make the preparations for docking. 

The  _ Jellyfish  _ slipped by the viewscreen as the shuttle flew around to the large docking station. There were various other ships attached to the large moon-sized structure. He’d have to hire bots to collect his luggage and transfer it to the  _ Jellyfish _ .

The transport docked itself and he pulled on his backpack. He disembarked, stepping from the transport to the hallway that lead to the heart of the station, waiting long enough to see the transportation bots show up to clear the transport’s cargo hold. Wrapping his fingers around the strap to his bag, he set of to find the his berth.

 

“Berth 10,” Jaehwan said, reading the large screens in the central atrium of the station. He fumbled with the papers in his backpack and pulled out his tablet, bringing up the acceptance letter which had his boarding information attached. Yep, he’d remembered correctly. Now to actually  _ find  _ where it was on the large map. 

“Berth 10, berth 10 berth-” It was a few levels up and over from where he stood, if he was reading the screens correctly. About a 10 minute walk, if his trek from the shuttle to the atrium was anything to go by. His stomach gave a loud rumble and he startled, looking around and putting a hand up to his abdomen. Nobody even looked at him. 

Flushed to his ears, he gave an awkward hitch to his backpack -  _ play it cool -  _ then turned in the direction of the closest food hall. 

The clock on the screens displayed the station time as 1000 and his acceptance letter listed roll call  at 1500. He had several hours, enough to eat, at least. His stomach gave another rumble and he mentally rolled his eyes at it. 

The food hall was much as he’d imagined, similar in layout as the ones at his university, just louder - and noisier. Centered around another atrium, it was 5 dizzying levels of open circles stacked atop one another. He walked to the nearest guard-rail and peered down, apparently on the third level. 

Both the bottom and top ends of the atrium were open to the space beyond, the shimmering blues and purples of the Siren Nebula spinning out in the space around the station. It was breathtaking and like nothing he’d ever seen before. Immune to it all, a mass of different species sat grouped at various tables scattered on every level of the hall. Garishly bright signs proudly proclaimed a galaxy’s breadth of cuisines. The cacophony of voices, languages, was deafening. 

Above it rang a loud, boisterous laugh. Looking down he traced it, to a pair of boys sitting one level down and a few degrees to the left of Jaehwan. 

Jaehwan’s breath caught again, but not at the stars this time, at least not the ones in space. The laughing boy was about his age and had the most gorgeous grin Jaehwan had ever seen in his life. It wasn’t an exaggeration. The boy’s eyes seemed to literally twinkle and his beautiful, wide mouth parted to show a dentist’s wet dream of teeth. Two dimples danced, one in each cheek. Leaning against the railing, Jaewhan tried to force himself to breathe. He felt like he’d just been punched in the gut. 

The boy’s laughter and his wide grin subsided into a brilliant smile, eyes still dancing, dusted by the softest fringe of light brown hair. 

The boy was too pretty to exist. 

Not fully conscious, Jaehwan walked to the nearest ramp that spiraled down to the level below. It wasn’t quite a run but it was enough of a not-walk to irritate the people he brushed by as he made his way down. 

He wasn’t even sure what he would do. Going up and gaping at the boy like an idiot was obviously not a good idea. 

Ears finely tuned to the boy’s voice, Jaehwan walked to the closest food counter and pointed and grunted, waving his wrist band to activate payment and taking whatever tray was pressed at him. Food was merely window dressing. 

There was a low bar just beyond the table where Gorgeous Smile and his friend sat. Jaehwan turned possessed eyes at the woman leaving another counter with her own tray who was also making her way to it. She gave Jaehwan a startled look then about-faced to find another spot. 

“Yeah, that’s right,” he muttered to himself, watching her go. His menacing eye-game was interrupted by another peal of laughter from Gorgeous Smile. It was even more delicious up close. There was something - special - about it. Jaehwan considered its mysterious timbre as he sat at the bar, fingers mindlessly unravelling the package of food he’d selected. 

Apparently, Gorgeous Smile’s friend was in the middle of telling him about the drunken shenanigans of someone named Wonshik, to Jaehwan’s delight, as each ridiculous event was punctuated with another eruption of laughter from -

“Drink something, Bin, before you choke to death,” Friend said around his own laughter at the thought of Wonshik running from a herd of drugged Taleeshan Sheep. 

_ Bin _ , Jaewhan registered the name of his grinning angel. Jaehwan stole a couple of glances at Bin, taking in the fine chisel of his jaw, the clean angle of his brow and almost delicate nose. A small part of Jaehwan’s heart gave a pang for the memory of Youngjin but it was quickly drowned out by the blood rushing down to his cock. 

With a shake of his head, Jaewhan tried to get a hold of himself. He was behaving like someone possessed. He wasn’t even sure what his goal was, anyway, other than sitting over an uneaten lunch and watching the most beautiful boy he’d ever seen laugh. 

He managed a few bites of food and a sip of his drink, ears burning as he tried, and failed, to continue eavesdropping.

“Oh, stars, what berth do we need to get to?” Bin asked. There was a scraping sound of his chair pushing back from the table. 

“No, sit we still have time,” his companion replied. “Gotta be at berth 10 by 1500. Well, gotta be an hour early to get through security checks so 1400.”

Jaehwan’s heart threatened to choke him as it leapt up into his throat.  _ Berth 10 _ . They were going to be on the  _ Jellyfish _ . He wasn’t sure if he was doomed or saved by the knowledge he’d be on a ship with Bin for a whole year. 

He tried to take a steadying drink and inhaled half a lung full of sour Venesian blue.  _ Curses! _ he told himself as he slapped a fist to his chest and tried to breathe. 

Suddenly, he was being thumped hard on the back. “Hey, man, you ok?” the voice of Bin’s friend came from over his shoulder and Jaewhan half-turned to wave him off. 

“Yeah, I -” he broke off abruptly. Bin was standing right beside him, looking down at him, concern in his large, dark eyes. The concern hardened a bit and Jaehwan realized he was staring. Gaping. Oh, stars, his mouth was hanging open. 

With an audible snap, he clamped his mouth shut and nodded to them, giving a small wave, indicating he was ok. 

“Sorry,” he managed and gave Bin a weak smile. Bin did not smile back. “I’m ok,” Jaehwan told him. “Thanks.”

A part of his brain registered Bin’s friend muttering. “I’m the one that pounded your back, you know.”

Bin made no response. Up close, Jaehwan noted that there was a distinctly pinkish hue to his complexion, as if he’d spent a bit too much time in the sun. “Oh, you know, I’ve got some aloe, if you want, for that sunburn.”

The mild chill in Bin’s eyes flared up to red hot rage as he glared at Jaehwan. Taken aback, Jaehwan straightened and tried to step back, only to bump into his table. Hard. 

“No, I don’t need any of your lotion,” Bin spat through clenched teeth and turned to stalk away. 

“Aw, shit, really?” the friend said, rolling his eyes at Jaehwan. Jaewhan gaped at him, shocked and confused. “You just had to didn’t you, asshole?”

“Wait, what-” but the friend didn’t hear it, he’d already taken off after Bin, leaving a stunned Jaehwan in their wake. 

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. He’d managed to fuck up a lot of things and he hadn’t even made it onto the ship yet. 


	3. Chapter 2

_****_

After the lunch debacle, Jaehwan had forced himself to eat his food, tasting not a bit of it. He then wandered the station aimlessly, hoping that Bin and his friend had gone right through the security check after leaving the food court so he wouldn’t have to see them while boarding. 

Cutting it as close as he possibly could, he skidded into the end of the line for Berth 10 right at 1400. 

Once on the ship, a harried woman with a bun falling apart into frayed whisps of hair around her face waved him off towards one direction and told him to, “Find Heechul.” He didn’t have the chance to ask her how he would know this Heechul, before she ran off to screech at bots attempting to enter through behind him. 

“No! You’re supposed to go down to bay 3 and come up around that way,” she cried, “every year it’s the same damn thing.” She waded hip deep into the line of beeping, confused bots. 

Turning, Jaehwan scanned the large bay, people streamed in through other security checks and grouped up to chat in small groups or passed through to the rest of the ship.

“You’re Jaehwan, aren’t you?” A man with long shaggy hair asked and Jaehwan  nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m one of the interns-”

“Of course you are,” the man said, exasperated as he flicked through his tablet. “You’re in intern group A, your lead is Hakyeon,” he hummed, “Cha Hakyeon.”

“Lead?”

“Second year intern.” The man slipped the tablet into the large front pocket of his lab coat and looked around as if trying to find someone. “N!” he shouted and waved an arm over his head. 

“N?” Jaehwan felt so lost. 

“Funny story, but long -oh, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Heechul. I’m your coordinator. I’ll make sure all your credits are applied properly to your program and liaise with your university which is-”

“Jayang”

“Oh dang, you’re really out there aren’t you?”

Jaehwan flushed. “Well-”

“Yeah, its ok. We get students from all over the ‘verse.”

“Hi, are you one of mine?” A boy who Jaehwan assumed was Hakyeon said as he approached, stopping beside Heechul to give them a sunny grin. 

“Uh-”

“Yeah, he’s one of yours,” Heechul said. “Help him find his luggage then get him down to the Hall for the Captain’s announcement.

“You got it!” Hakyeon said then waved Heechul off then turned to Jaehwan. “You’re my last one, I’ve already rounded up all my other ducklings.”

“Sorry I didn’t mean to be late-”

“Oh hush, you’re fine. Let's go find your luggage and make sure it gets sent to the right block.” 

Heechul wandered off to yell at another group of bots trying to come in through the wrong bay and Hakyeon linked his arm into Jaehwan’s and pulled him along, heading into the ship. 

“Block?” Jaehwan asked, confused. All the ships he’d been on (all two of them) had had decks of cabins. He’d never heard of ships arranged into blocks. 

“Yeah we do living quarters a bit different on the  _ Jellyfish, _ ” Hakyeon explained, “since we do extended, deep space journeys.” He gave Jaehwan an encouraging nudge as they walked, weaving through the streams of people. “I know it seems a lot, it was for me last year, but this is going to be awesome, promise. This your first long-term internship is it?”

Jaehwan felt overwhelmed, completely out of place. He could barely manage a nod as they squeezed past a large, shouty group of scientists arguing over sample storage. “Uh-”

Hakyeon eyed him, knowingly. “It’s ok.” He patted Jaehwan’s hand and they joined a stream of people heading down a corridor. “I’ve already escorted the rest of our squad to the Hall, so we just have to get you sorted and we’ll be all set.”

“Squad?”

“Oh, so continuing from earlier, ship-living can be overwhelming so everyone is grouped into squads. We’ll live together and help each other out, kinda become our own little families, so we can support one another. They put the interns together under second or third-years. I’m your lead so I’m kinda responsible for you, I guess. I'm here if you have any questions.”

Hakyeon kept up a steady stream of babble as they made their way to what was, apparently, Dock 3. 

Jaehwan scanned the sea of bots and found his lime-green luggage. “Uh, this is mine,” he said as he squeezed between the bots surrounding it. He waved to the large, wheeled cart that carried his luggage.

“Ok,” Hakyeon bent and opened up the keypad on the bot’s display. “Three-seven, block A.” He stood and looked at Jaehwan. He scanned a few extra credits in as a tip and the bot gave a chime before rolling back and merging into the stream of bots lining up to navigate through the service corridors. 

“It’ll get there ok?” Jaehwan asked, nervously.

“I say we got an 80% chance of this turning out well.” Hakyeon said. Jaehwan gave him a confused look.

“For some reason, the Jellyfish’s configuration doesn’t play well with this station’s programming. Its why all the bots kept trying to go in to the wrong dock. Last year we spent the first two weeks of travel just trying to get everyone’s luggage to the right spot.”

“Doesn’t most of the crew carry over from year to year?”

“Well, it varies.” Hakyeon steered him back into the corridor and towards what Jaehwan assumed was the Main Hall they were supposed to be in. “Most teams are awarded positions on the ship for several years but it all depends on your research. And new groups come and old groups go every year so it’s always a mess.”

“Oh.”

“Ok here we are. I set our team up towards the front. The Captain likes to introduce all the interns at once.” He led them, weaving, through the room large enough to hold the entirety of the ship’s population. 

“How many interns are there?” The room seemed enormous and was packed full. Wiith any luck, Bin and his friend were on a science team - not interns. With any luck they’d never have to cross paths and Jaehwan wouldn’t have to melt into a puddle of embarrassed shame for his long year on-board. 

“There’s 24, 6 second-years, the rest first-years, divided into 4 squads. We’re squad A.” He stopped and waved a hand over a small group standing together. 

That embarrassed shame Jaehwan had hoped to avoid slammed into him as his eyes locked with a glaring Bin.  _ Shit _ . The stars truly hated him. 

“So this is our last intern!” Hakyeon said brightly. “The Captain will begin speaking soon so I’ll just do a quick introduction.

“I”m Cha Hakyeon but a lot of the scientist from last year call me N. It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later. I’m your Lead, xenozoology major, invertebrates, and my co-lead is Taek, a fellow second-year, also xenozoology but vertebrates, the fluffier the better, right Taek?” 

Taek was a dark-haired, quiet boy. Jaehwan had barely noticed him, he was so unassuming. 

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Jung Taekwoon.” Taekwoon nodded and his face flushed a bit. “If you have any questions I can help you.”

“He looks mean, I promise he isn’t. He’s a giant puppy, I swear,” Hakyeon said. “The rest of you are our first-years. We have Kim Wonshik-” he nodded to  a tall, slender boy with shaggy, dual colored hair, pink and ashy grey. Wonshik gave a little bow and a smile. 

“I’m a xenobotany major,” Wonshik said. 

“These two are Lee Hongbin and Han Sanghyuk, both xenobiology,” Hakyeon introduced and Ken’s heart sank even further. 

He gave a small wave, avoiding looking at Bin - Hongbin, he corrected, and Sanghyuk. “I’m Jaehwan, xenobiology, too.”

He was about to begin the longest year of his life. 

__

The Captain, Yoo, was incredibly long winded. And verbose. And fond of metaphors. She spent an inordinate amount of time discussing the breach between crew and researchers, which was apparently A Problem. Jaehwan eventually stopped trying to focus. The woman never seemed to get around to finding a point. 

At some point Hakyeon nudged him and, blinking, he stepped forward with the rest of the interns to turn and wave at the rest of the ship. Apparently they’d been introduced.

“She’s a good captain,” Hakyeon mumbled softly out of the side of his mouth, “just wordy.”

Jaehwan nodded and tried not to yawn. His feet ached something fierce.  

Eventually they were dismissed and Hakyeon held them back as the rest of the ship streamed out of the back of the hall. Jaehwan made a point to stand between Taekwoon and Wonshik and not look anywhere close to Hongbin and Sanghyuk. 

“We’ll wait a bit for everyone else to go and I’ll just go over some procedures here,” he said. 

He had them pull out their tablets so he could give them each their work assignments. Apparently he and Hongbin had both been assigned to the team working on space mollusks with Sanghyuk assigned to Venesian Moths. 

‘Is it possible to change assignments?” Sanghyuk asked and Jaehwan felt a flush creep up his cheeks. 

“No it isn’t but you will be rotated every quarter so you won’t be staring at moths for the whole year, Sanghyuk” Hakyeon said. 

“Actually, I prefer Hyuk.”

“Okay.” Hakyeon paused and gave a look around at his squad. “Is everything ok? Is something going on I don’t know about?” He looked at them with narrowed eyes. 

“Everything's fine,” Jaehwan said hurriedly, voice only a little shaky. Hongbin was glaring at him again, he could feel it. Hakyeon gave him a look making it clear he wasn’t buying it but didn’t press the issue. 

“Alright it’s cleared up a bit, let’s head down to our block.” He motioned them to begin walking and he centered himself in their group, Taekwoon leading the way. “So I don’t know if any of you have lived long-term on ships before - I believe already explained this to some of you - but, we are structured in a squad system.” 

Ahead of Jaehwan, Wonshik nodded in recognition of the term. 

“Basically,” Hakyeon continued, “our quarters aren’t just individual rooms down a hall or anything like that. All of the living quarters are on decks 25-37 are arranged into family groupings.” A feeling of dread crept into Jaehwan’s stomach as he realized the implications of what Hakyeon was saying. No this was very bad. 

“So we will have a central living and eating area and all of our rooms are grouped around that. I’ve made a small chart with cooking and cleaning assignments. If you don’t know how to cook, you’re going to have to learn. Everyone has to do their share around here.” His voice was stern and Jaehwan really just needed to die right then and there. His cooking was… well, not very good. 

“Ah, here we are,” he said as Taekwoon pressed on the panel for a wide door and stood back so they could enter what was a large, spacious living area, with several couches strewn around a central fire pit. An actual fire pit. Jaehwan’s eyes went wide. 

Along one side of the room was an open kitchen area with a sink, a couple burners and a few cabinets, likely hiding kitchen utensils. 

In the center of the living area, right beside the fire pit, was a line of luggage, including his lime-green one, successfully delivered by the bots. 

“Yeah, they’ve opted for warm and cozy,” Haekyeon said. “It’s hard being on a ship for years on end so grouping into squad systems is statistically more successful. Community building and all that.”

“What if your squad doesn’t get along?” Hongbin’s voice was biting and Jaehwan stifled a flinch. 

“That happens, sometimes,” Hakyeon said. “There were a few incidents last year but I and Taek are here to help in case there  _ are _ any problems and if worst comes to worse we can look at reassignment. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”

“We have extensive stores when it comes to food, we just have to make sure we order off of the available log - that’s in the kitchen - or we can also shop down in the commissary on the entertainment deck. Whoever’s cooking just needs to ensure they get in their requests for the week by the first day of the week. I can go over it with you whenever it’s your cooking turn. It’ll be me and Taek this first week, though, to just get us all started.” 

Hakyeon walked to stand in front of a pair of doors. “These are our rooms, Taek and me.” He waved to a third door a little away from theirs. “That is the restroom, we’ll all share. I have a schedule for cleaning that as well but I expect everyone to do their own clean up after use. There are cabinets in there with your names on them already, you can keep your essentials there.”

He waved to the other four doors that opened into the living area. “You can take your pick from those. First come first serve.”

Jaehwan held back, letting the others pick first; anything he could do to garner some good will. Instead, he went to look through the luggage to pull out his. He tugged at it, engaging its wheels so he could roll it along the tile floor with ease. The other rooms claimed, he pushed his baggage towards the room by the restroom. 

It was a small but nicely furnished space: wide bed, desk with shelving above, a bookcase along one wall and a small entertainment panel on the wall across from the bed. There’d been a large panel in the main room but giving people access to their own entertainment panels was probably a good idea if one wanted to avoid friction. 

There was a sound of laughter and a muffled bit of banging along the wall beside his bed. He could hear what sounded like Hongbin and Hyuk, probably wrestling and joking. Taking in a deep breath, Jaehwan opened his luggage and began to unpack. Some way or another he was going to have to try to make up for whatever mess he’d created on the station with Hongbin, find some way to apologize or something. Problem was, he still wasn’t quite sure what had happened, what he’d done to so set the other boy off. 

He sat fiddling with the fringe of his bath towel and replayed the whole interaction in his mind. Fawning and simpering at Hongbin was bad, yes, probably uncomfortable but he couldn’t see how it would have triggered such deep anger. 

“Ugh,” he groaned and threw himself back onto the bed, tossing the towel over his eyes, feeling sleepy. There was an idea. Maybe he could just sleep himself through the year. 

A soft knock at his door pulled him from a shallow nap and he shuffled to open the door. Taekwoon gave him a soft smile and said, “Dinner’s ready.”

Jaehwan nodded and followed him out to the kitchen, where the rest of the squad sat around a round table. There was only one seat left, directly opposite Hongbin. Squaring his shoulders Jaehwan sat. He was over being sad and apologetic. He couldn’t figure out whatever he’d done wrong and Hongbin hadn’t bothered to explain himself so it wasn’t Jaehwan’s problem anymore. 

With a pasted on grin, he smiled at the table. “Everyone settle in okay?”

“Dude, the rooms here are so nice. I was living in a sardine can at my old school,” Wonshik said. He helped himself to a pile of the noodles steaming in the center of the table then checked himself. “Oh, is it-”

“By all means,” Hakyeon said with a gracious wave. He helped himself to some of the sauteed vegetables then handed the bowl to Taekwoon. 

“Anyways,” Wonshik continued around a mouthful of noodles. “Yeah, these rooms are nice.” 

“Bed is nice and soft,” Sanghyuk added, plating himself some chicken. “Head board isn’t,” he added with a laugh. 

Hongbin’s hand came up and gave a rub at the back of his head. 

“No trips to medbay on day one okay?” Hakyeon chastised. “So,” he said then patted the corner of his mouth with a napkin, “you two a couple?” he nodded at Hongbin and Hyuk. “We can put in a request for technicians to come restructure your rooms to a double. It’s what Taek and I have done.”

“No! Nonono,” Hyuk waved his hands furiously, “no we’re just friends, we aren’t together.”

“Oh, ok,” Hakyeon said. 

“You’d make a cute couple,” Wonshik tossed in. 

“We aren’t!” Hongbin insisted. 

“It’s ok,” Hakyeon smoothed over them. “Fraternizing is allowed, we aren't a military ship. Sometimes it happens, ship romance. That’s how we are.” 

In a million years, Jaehwan would not have pegged the two co-leads as a couple. He could not imagine any pair more different. 

“Well, we’re just friends,” Sanghyuk said. 

“Friends who wrestle,” Jaehwan said, trying for a light, teasing tone. 

“Yeah, that’s what we are,” Hongbin said icily and Jaehwan braved himself to meet his gaze, unflinching. Stars, but he was still beautiful to look at, maybe even more so when he was angry. The natural pink of his skin flushed to a deeper red, his eyes dark and piercing. That pull that had called to him in the food hall returned but he pushed it away.

Jaehwan went for light-hearted banter. “Good thing neither of you are Cetan then, all that wrestling and you’d wind up with babies.”

“What did you say?” Hongbin asked and Hyuk sucked in a breath. Even Taekwoon and Hakyeon looked mildly shocked. Jaehwan’s mind stuttered. He’d done it again. 

“Uh-” he looked for the right words to deflect what he’d said. 

“No, seriously, say that again, I want to be sure I heard you right.” Hongbin’s voice was an ice shard stabbing at him. 

Jaehwan licked his lips then shrugged. “I said good thing you aren’t Cetan-” his voice began to shake as he looked away from Hongbin’s glaring eyes. It was obvious he was going to have to repeat the whole thing. “Because then you’d have-” he licked his lips, “babies.”

“That’s what I fucking thought.” Hongbin tossed his utensils down with a loud clatter and scraped his chair back and stood. “I don’t have to sit here for this bullshit.” He stormed off into his room.

“What did I say?” Jaehwan asked the table, sincerely confused. 

“‘Bin is half-Cetan,” Hyuk said with disgust. “And you’re speciest.  _ And _ a pervert.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood, picking up Hongbin’s discarded food and carrying it and his own plate to join Hongbin in his room. 

“I- I’m not speciest,” Jaehwan said to the table, abashed. 

“That was kinda speciest,” Wonshik said, but gently. 

Jaehwan tried to defend himself. If he could explain, they’d see he was just making a harmless joke. “Everyone knows how easy it is for them reproduce and with the Rush -”

“I think you should stop talking, now.” Hakyeon’s voice was firm, and his eyes withering. 

They continued their meal in silence and as quick as he could, Jaehwan scraped the food off his plate, washed it and retreated to his room, feeling about as big as a Terran mouse. 

_ Speciest _ ?  _ Me? _ He’d never felt anything negative towards any other species in his life. Not once. Not that he’d ever actually met anyone that was not Terran but - there was no way he could be speciest. It was just a joke, an ice breaker. Something to make everyone laugh.

Everyone knew that it was ridiculously easy for Cetans to reproduce. And when they started to Rush - the Cetan equivalent to going into heat - they’d sleep with just about anyone. Everyone knew that. It was just a harmless joke. 

Is this why Hongbin was upset earlier? How on earth was joking about a sunburn speciest? Jaehwan’s head hurt. Nothing made any sense. 

A gentle knock preceded Hakyeon poking his head into Jaehwan’s room. “You got a sec?” he asked. 

Jaehwan nodded and sat on his bed, motioning Hakyeon to take the desk chair. 

“So, yeah that was pretty shitty at dinner.”

“I - I’m not speciest!” Jaehwan protested. 

“Probably not but -” Hakyeon sighed. “Where are you from?”

“Jayang ” 

Hakyeon nodded. “You’ve only ever lived around Terrans, haven’t you?”

“Well yea, it’s a Terran colony and kinda backwater,” he admitted, pained. 

“So this is going to be your first experiences around a lot of species and, I’ve found, many people who grew up only around Terrans have a  _ difficult _ time transitioning. Terrans can be really insular and have odd ideas when it comes to other species.”

“Aren’t - aren’t you Terran?”

“Yeah but I grew up in Sul,” Hakyeon explained. “I’ve lived with dozens of species all my life. It’s different.”

Jaehwan felt a prick of pride. “What so, does that make you better than me?!”

“No, not at all, just more exposed.”

“Are you saying I’m ignorant?!”

“Yes, yes I am, but I’m also saying that it’s ok.” 

Jaehwan stood, angry, affronted, embarrassed. For a first day this could not have gone any worse. “I don’t need to listen to this, you can go now.”

“Yes you do, and I’m your Lead, I’m not going anywhere.” Despite his words, he stood and stepped towards the door. “I’ve put together a little bit of reading. It was useful last year for a few other people in circumstances like yours. Maybe you might want to give it a read and see if it helps. He placed a small chip onto Jaehwan’s desk. 

With that Hakyeon turned and closed the door behind him. Infuriated, Jaehwan threw himself onto the bed. Eventually the lights dimmed and the ship’s sleep cycle began. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented/kudosed/ followed this fic. Yall are awesome. I am traveling but managed this little update. I promise when I get back I will respond to each if you!
> 
> The next update should be Tuesday


	4. Chapter 3

The next morning, breakfast was a chilly affair. Jaehwan stood and sipped a bowl of soup, the rest of his block sat at the table, Hakyeon trying to get a stubborn Leo to have more than just a shake, and Wonshik half snoring into a bowl of mush. Hyuk must still be asleep and Hongbin...Hongbin sat with his back to Jaehwan. “You exbio majors should probably get going,” Hakyeon said as the clock in the kitchen clicked to read 0800. 

With a flutter of panic, Jaehwan tossed the rest of his soup and rinsed his bowl. His info packet said his team started work at 0815. His team. The team that included Hongbin. They were going to have to walk to their lab together. 

He and Hongbin both walked side by side down the corridor to the lifts up to the lab levels, doing everything they could to ignore one another. In the lift however, Jaehwan tried to mend their breach. 

“So, I wanted to apologize for last night,” he said to Hongbin’s reflection in the lift door. 

“Oh, do you?” Hongbin gave him a sarcastic smirk. “What for?”

“Well,” Jaehwan licked his lips. “I wanted to say I’m sorry you were offended-”

“Save it,” Hongbin said, cutting him off. “I don’t need your shitty apology.”

Jaehwan gaped at him. He’d been apologizing! That was what he was supposed to do!

“You look like a damn Lega Fish gaping like that,” Hongbin said. 

“That - you - that was rude!”

“It was,” Hongbin acknowledged. 

“What the hell? I’m trying to apologize to you. I am sorry about what happened on the station and about last night.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes I am! That’s why I’m apologizing.” 

“You’re apologizing because I got mad. You’re not apologizing because you did something wrong.” Hongbing turned to actually look at him and Jaehwan met his eyes with a flinch. “I bet you don’t even think you did anything wrong.”

“I’m saying sorry aren’t I?”

“For being speciest?”

“I’m not speciest!” Jaehwan shouted. 

“Yeah, thoughts so, you aren’t sorry.” The lift door dinged and Hongbin strode out, ignoring him. Fuming, Jaehwan followed in his wake.

At least their work assignments pulled them onto different divisions of the lab team and they managed to go the whole day without talking to one another. 

That night, Jaehwan forwent dinner, opting to shower then hole up in his room, pointedly  _ not _ loading the chip with Hakyeon’s reading material into his tablet and, instead, opting to curl up with his favorite musical series on his entertainment panel and trying to ignore the laughs of Hyuk and Hongbin out in the living room. 

Cetans were a tentacle species, Jaehwan’s vicious mind provided. Tentacles. His mind began to provide snapshots of all the hours of Cetan porn he’d consumed over the years and began to wonder if Hongbin had tentacles. They weren’t visible, obviously, but he’d heard that some half-breeds had only small ones. 

A flush spread through him and he felt his cock give a twitch as his mind lingered over the image of a naked Hongbin, tentacles stroking up and down his torso. 

“No,” Jaehwan said, jerking up. He refused to think of that jerk sexually. Refused. 

 

The walk to their lab everyday was painfully awkward, at least for Jaehwan. Hongbin seemed particularly unbothered. In fact, it seemed like he didn’t even notice Jaehwan’s existence. At all. It was even worse in the two courses the xenobiology interns had to share as there were only a handful of them. 

He tried to apologize one more time only to have Hongbin look through him like he wasn’t even there. 

After a few weeks of this, they came into the lab together - well not really together as Jaehwan had to duck the not-quite-slammed door behind Hongbin - to find Heechul waiting for them, hair up in a net and tablet in hand. Co-incidentally their Intern liaison also happened to be part of the xenobiology team to which he and Hongbin had been assigned. 

“Alright,” said Heechul as they were scrubbing down, “so we’re gonna need you two to cultivate a few generation of Zian Mollusks for the next round of tests. If you follow me, I’ll show you to their tanks.”

Jaehwan’s stomach sank. This was going to be the first thing they were assigned to together and, from the way Hongbin avoided sharing the look Jaehwan shot him, it was going to be as painful and embarrassing as living in the same suite had been for the last month.

Hongbin stepped past him, shoulder not quite brushing him, to follow Heechul to a large lab where the various species of study were kept. It was a large, two story space, the upper level of the perimeter consisting of a metal frame catwalk from which the various tanks could be observed, and with access to the main circulation corridor. 

In its center were several large tanks that came up to about waist height, with controls for managing temperature on a side panel. One of the tanks was full of Zian Mollusks, the tanks adjacent to it, completely empty. All around the perimeter were other, smaller tanks with various other species, presumably for other research. 

“I assume you know the basics of breeding the mollusks?” Heechul asked and Jaewhan nodded and opened his mouth only to be cut off by Hongbin. 

“Yes, I know the basics, and Zepulveda has a fairly extensive write up on it,” Hongbin said, referencing one of the texts they’d been assigned for their study. “I covered it in class last week.”

_ I covered it, _ Jaehwan noted, as if he hadn’t been in the same class with Hongbin. 

“Yeah, we both passed last week’s exam on the subject,” Jaehwan said, again trying to share a look with Hongbin and, again, being rebuffed. 

“Good,” Heechul said, missing the undercurrents in the conversation and walking along the aisle between large tanks of mollusks. He launched into an explanation of the study they were going to be helping on and a review of their overall timeline. “So we’re going to need to stagger the different generations a few days, to measure the various effects. You’ll need to break up the whole batch into at least 4 generations. You’ll be breeding in the empty tanks. Do you know how to work the temperature controls?”

Jaehwan nodded and wondered if he should talk to Heechul quietly about this project. It was going to be nearly impossible to do if Hongbin was going to ignore him. 

“You’ll need to make sure you document each generation extensively,” Heechul continued. 

It might not be worth it, though, Jaehwan admitted. Might just mark him as a trouble maker if he admitted to friction with fellow interns only a month in. He didn’t really want to make a bad impression. His review for this year was going to be a big part of finding a job when he graduated. 

“I’ll be your supervisor for this but I would really like it if you two took as much ownership over this as possible. If we can get you through this, we can move you into more exciting parts of the research.”

“I’ll do whatever has to be done,” Hongbin said, again speaking only for himself. 

“That’s right,” Jaehwan spoke up. 

“Ok well, we will need the first generation in 4 days at the earliest and they’ll need to be at least a day old. You think you can handle that?”

They both nodded and Heechul gave them a big smile and clapped them each on the shoulder. “You got this! I’ll be here if you need anything.”

Heechul left them to their tanks and Jaehwan regarded the large containers with their fully grown adults. “So first off we should probably check the saline levels of the tanks.” 

Before he could finish his sentence, Hongbin retrieve a probe and dipped it into the closest empty tank. 

“What’s it at?” Jaehwan asked. Hongbin didn’t answer, simply left the probe on the shelf on the wall of the tank and walked to the next one. Jewhan grimaced and pulled his tablet out of his lab coat and stepped up to read the probe for himself and document it. 

He followed behind Hongbin and documented the other tank. “Ok the saline levels for the second tank are closest to optimal for mollusk breeding,” Jaehwan said as he read from the tablet. “It probably only needs a few tablets to bring it to the right levels for saline, and we can adjust the temperature controls now-”

Hongbin moved while Jaehwan was speaking, dropping saline tablets into the second tank and fiddling with the panel that controlled the tank temperature. 

“Ok so if you do that I can get some food growing in there for-”

Ignoring him, Hongbin went to the containers with the Mollusk food and began measuring it out into a large sifter. 

“Well, I guess you don’t need me so I’ll just take a bathroom break, I guess.” Jaehwan didn’t even wait to be unacknowledged again. He turned and stalked from the room, taking the stairs up to the catwalk two at a time and marching down the hall and up to Heechul’s office a deck above. 

Of course, there was already another intern in there, with a litany of issues that apparently needed instant resolution. Frustrated, Jaehwan sank to the bench outside Heechul’s door and tried not to fume. Hongbin was taking this all too far over just a few stupid words. 

Finally the other intern left and Heechul called him in. “Didn’t I just leave you downstairs?” he asked with a smile. “Is everything ok?”

Jaehwan opened his mouth and found he didn’t have any clue what he was going to say. “I - uh -”

“Do you want to take a seat?”

Jaehwan shook his head. “I just - um - Hongbin and I -”

“Hongbin and you - do you not want to do the mollusk project?”

Jaehwan shook his head. “No, I do. I-” His desire to complain about Hongbin evaporated as he looked at Heechul’s patient eyes. “I just - wanted to thank you for the opportunity and assure you that we will do our absolute best.”

“I’m glad, and you’re welcome,” Heechul said. “Dr. Matthews shared your test scores from last week with me and we felt you two would be best suited for this project. I hope you do well.”

“We will.” Jaehwan gave a slight bow and took a half-step back. “Thank you.” He turned and escaped Heechul’s office. With a sigh, he squared his shoulders. He was just going to have to power through the silent treatment. 

He stood to wait at the lifts and was joined by a pair of xenobiology researchers. He wasn’t quite sure of their names, but was pretty sure they were the Yang brothers. He’d seen them around the lab before. They nodded in greeting and Jaehwan gave them a smile and wave. 

“Hey so you’re block-mates with that Cetan, aren’t you?” The taller one of the pair asked. 

“Uh, yeah,” Jaehwan answered, the question making his chest tighten in discomfort. 

“Yeah,” the shorter researcher echoed and then added, “and they got put on the mollusk breeding together.”

“Oh, man,” he continued, “I’m so jealous. I always wanted to be close to a Cetan, especially when they’re Rushing. I hear they get all randy.” 

The shorter one laughed and added, “Damn, did you see him when we launched? It was insane. I could barely stop myself from jumping him as the Captain was talking.” He turned to Jaehwan, “So has he wrapped his tentacles around you yet? How’d they feel?”

Jaehwan’s blood burned hot and he could feel his face flushing in anger. “No he hasn’t. He hasn’t touched anyone like that. He isn’t like that. He’s professional.”

“Well just wait,” the taller one said. “Everyone knows what they’re like once the Rush happens. If you don’t want it, I’ll take him, just give me a call. In fact, I wouldn’t mind helping with the mollusks. Imagine having to do the late night breeding with the Cetan right next to you-”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. But since you’re being gross, I am gonna just take the stairs,” Jaehwan said, feeling the need for a shower. 

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that,” the shorter one said.

“See ya,” Jaehwan said, spinning on his heel and walking off to find the stairs. 

So that explained Jaehwan’s over-the-top reaction to his first sight of Hongbin. He’d always thought the Rush attraction more a myth, or exaggeration, a fantasy spun larger-than-life by the pornos. 

Cetan’s skin was naturally more translucent than human’s and when they - went into heat, for want of a better term - the hormonal release combined with increased blood production caused their skin to flush a brighter red as the surge of mating hormones rushed through their body, hence the name. 

Well, that explained how he’d been so ridiculously attractive on the space station. Though, it didn’t explain why Jaehwan had turned into a lust-blind idiot. Still, Jaehwan hadn’t been as gross about it as the researchers. Had he?

He tried to remember how he’d behaved, looking at himself critically and a sinking feeling of shame overwhelmed him. 

When he returned to the lab he didn’t try to speak to Hongbin, instead opting to just work on prepping the other tanks for future generations and leaving the first tank to Hongbin.

Hongbin finished first and saw himself out. Once Jaehwan was done with the other tanks, he stopped to check the panel of the second tank and saw Hongbin had noted that breeding would start around midnight tonight. Jaehwan set his own tablet to wake him a little before so he could come down and help.

When he got back to the block, the rest of his squad was seated at dinner, including Hongbin. As had become habit when he and Hongbin were there for a meal at the same time (which, thankfully, wasn't often), he collected his dinner from the table, not speaking to the rest of his block and walked to his own room to eat at his desk. He pulled out his tablet, inserted the memory chip Hakyeon had left him and pulled up the first article to read.


	5. Chapter 4

Whatever blip of sympathy that had been sparked in Jaehwan after the encounter with the researchers at the elevators disappeared by the time he found himself on his knees by a tank up to his armpits in salt water, vigorously massaging a male mollusk because, of course, Hongbin had opted to stimulate a female. It was easier to stimulate a female. All they needed was some light stroking of their crests and they’d go belly up.

And by opted, Hogbin hadn’t negotiated the arrangement with Jaehwan. He hadn’t made a case for splitting the chore or even so much as said a word to Jaehwan during the whole walk to the lab. No, he’d just walked in grabbed a specimen from the female side of the tank and began stroking her, leaving Jae to wrestle a male. 

This was why it was a two person job. Mollusks mated in packs but they usually didn't start until the right mix of pheromones were in the water. In nature, this occurred naturally. In a lab - 

“Alright, this one is -” Jaewhan grimaced down at the tank trying not to really think about what his hands were doing.

Hongbin was suddenly right next to him, closer than he’d ever been. For a split second Jaehwan’s brain registered the pleasant smell of his soap, the warmth of his shoulder pressed up in to him while his fingers stroked the protuberances of ...a space mollusk. 

Before he could be visibly disgusted, however, Hongbin maneuvered his hands around Jaehwan’s and pressed their specimens together. He could feel Hongbin's fingers gliding over his, finding the male’s penis then guiding it in to the female. They both held absolutely still, waiting. The manual insisted that forced mating usually took multiple tries and there was no way Jaewhan wanted to try that again tonight. 

The mollusks began to shift in their hands and managed to shimmie out of them, floating off in the water, still connected. 

Sinking back onto his heels, he smiled in relief at Hongbin. For the briefest of seconds, Hongbin smiled back, then he blinked and turned around to the larger tank housing all of their mollusks. Jaehwan made a face at Hongbin’s back and went to retrieve a net. Now that a pair was mating, they’d release secretions into the water that should get the rest going once they were dropped in. 

They stayed long enough to watch the whole, horny mass dissolve into a sex-crazed frenzy, then Hongbin turned and began shutting down the lights. Jaehwan had to scurry to follow in his wake. 

The worst part about all of it was - they’d have to do it again in a week, and then two more times after that. He mentally groaned and walked as fast as his legs would go because he desperately needed a shower. 

 After that he sank back into his bed where the paltry scraps left of his night were co-opted by his brain deciding to dwell on uncomfortable dreams in which Hongbin smiled at him while his fingers multiplied into dozens of tentacles, stroking up and down his arms. The morning wood he woke with was incredibly unwelcome. 

He rubbed it out anyways, gritting his teeth against thoughts of Hongbin.

  
  


Later that morning he trotted behind Hongbin as they made their way down to the lab to check the progress of the mating. He made a point to stand in a corner of the elevator, not obviously with Hongbin, so as to not aggravate him. They stopped after only one floor, a pair of researchers joining them. He didn’t know either of women, their faces only vaguely familiar, so he made no move to do more than nod towards them as they stood on either side of Hongbin, resolutely standing in the center of the elevator. The pair ignored Jaehwan completely. 

From where he stood, Jaehwan could see them reflected in the polished metal of the elevator cab. Absently, he stared and then blinked as he realized they were both eyeing Hongbin’s reflection in a way that made his stomach clench. Hongbin stared forward, oblivious. 

“So,” the woman to Hongbin’s right said, researcher Lee from her nametag, “I heard there was a half-Cetan on board.” 

The tone of her voice set Jaehwan’s nerves on edge. It felt - predatory. 

“From your complexion,” Lee continued, “I would say that’s probably you.”

Hongbin didn’t respond. 

The elevator dinged and the cab took its time settling onto their floor. “Come on,” Jaehwan said, pushing between Researcher Lee and Hongbin, a hair rougher than necessary. She squawked and stumbled but he ignored it, instead shouldering Hongbin as the doors parted, saying, “we’re here.” 

The elevator doors closed on the sound of the women’s titlated giggles. Burning with embarrassment, he stammered inarticulately and Hongbin just gave him a look. Jaehwan snapped his mouth shut and Hongbin, instead of stalking off as Jaehwan expected, gave him a small nod. 

Jaehwan smiled at Hongbin’s back as he walked away in not-quite a stalk, purposeful but not bristling for a fight. 

In the lab they checked on their charges. “Mating seems to have been successful,” Jaehwan said as he ran his hands over the females, all laying piled atop one another in a spent slumber. Every one he checked had a full belly indicating egg production was occurring. 

“I’ll-” Hongbin cleared his throat. “I’ll adjust the water temperature.” Jaehwan blinked but tried to be cool. It was the first time Hongbin had spoken to him without hostility. 

“Uh, thanks, yeah,” he managed and cringed inwardly. A female wound a lazy tentacle around his wrist and he startled. “I-” he splashed around trying to dislodge her. “I’ll take care of their food.”

Hongbin hummed acknowledgement and fiddled with the controls for the tank. In the wild the mollusks would resettle into deeper, cooler waters for optimal gestation. Since that wasn’t possible in an enclosed tank, they had to simulate the environment manually.

Jaehwan desperately wanted to ask about what had happened in the elevator. He’d never seen anything like that happen before. The very air of the enclosed space had felt different, threatening. Just the memory of it caused the space between his shoulder blades to itch uncomfortably. He felt exposed, and the women’s words hadn’t even been directed at him.  

But it made no sense. Their words had been relatively innocuous, just an inquiry anyone might have meeting someone who might be different. It was human nature to be curious about difference. Maybe they’d been trying to be friendly, to just get to know one of the interns. 

But then the look in Researcher Lee’s eyes as she stared at Hongbin came back to him. It had been a leer. It had made everything feel - worse. Somehow, it was all the more sinister than just a simple question. 

He wondered if Hongbin experienced that frequently then remembered some of his reading from the night before. It was almost certain Hongbin had. All the questions jumbled in Jaehwan’s mind remained unspoken, instinct telling him that he shouldn’t push his luck. One non-hostile sentence didn’t mean Hongbin was going to open up. 

Maybe, Jaehwan considered, he could ask Hakyeon, or maybe even Hyuk, about it. 

  
  


Hyuk was the first one he found himself alone with, later that day. But, when confronted with the opportunity, he found he had no idea how to even begin a conversation about it. They were both sitting in the common room, he on the large over-stuffed recliner, Hyuk sprawled over the large sofa, limbs barely contained. On the screen-wall a cooking show was playing. Jaehwan wasn’t quite sure who’d put it on. Maybe Hakyeon before he left for a night-shift in his lab. Neither he nor Hyuk was actually watching it though. Jaehwan, because he was too focused on trying to figure out what he wanted to say and Hyuk - well his face was tucked in somehow between the cushions of the sofa so seeing the screen was a physical impossibility. Unless he were half-Archna. 

Finally, Jaehwan just blurted out, “I was a piece of shit back on the space-station, huh?”

Hyuk snorted and turned to look at him, body contorting awkwardly. “What?” 

“I -” Jaehwan licked his lips. “I’ve been thinking about it - then - a lot and I think I was really shitty.”

“Oh, uh-” Hyuk just stared at him stupidly. He grimaced in discomfort and rotated the rest of his body so he was laying on his back, looking over at Jaehwan. 

“I was being speciest, objectifying. I didn’t know it at the time. I just thought he looked - wow he looked -”

“He was Rushing,” Hyuk explained. “Maybe your were a bit off, that’s to be expected, most people are a bit thrown when they first see a Rush. But you weren’t bad.”

“But Hongbin was so upset.”

“Yeah he was embarrassed. He’s - not really good at managing the Rush.”

“What  _ is _ it?” Jaehwan had read the scientific articles but he didn’t really quite get it. Hyuk looked at him like he was nuts. Apparently this was something he should just understand. 

“It just happens to those who are half-cetan and half-human.” Hyuk’s voice sounded bored. “Something about their skin makes it a bit more translucent. 

“Yeah, yeah I know about all of that but just -” there was something more to all of it that he just couldn’t articulate. 

Hyuk just looked at him in confusion and then, with a slow dawning realization. “Oh -”  he waved his hand at Jaehwan “Ohhh, you! Yes, that makes sense!” He sat, face animated, eyes wide. “You felt it that day!”

“Yes! I felt like I was insane! What was it?”

Hyuk giggled and Jaehwan wanted to strangle him. “So, the Rush is what happens when Cetans are -” Hyuk ducked his head and darted his eyes around, “fertile.” Jaehwan’s stomach flipped. “Their blood production increases, and with half-humans their translucent skin it gives them a pinkish glow. But on top of that they also release - pheremones.” He waggled his eyes suggestively. “Humans that are sexually compatible pick up on it. A-ha!” He threw himself back on the couch and let out a loud laugh “Oh my god you’re sexually compatible! It explains everything!”

“What, what are you saying?!”

“I’m saying that most humans are going to find a Cetan attractive, its just how it goes. But not all are genetically compatible enough to mate successfully-” At the word ‘mate’ Jaehwan’s cheeks flushed red and he wanted to sink into the ground. “I’m also saying that that explains why you were a fucking idiot on the first day. Uh- no offence but you were. Though you didn’t have to tell that shitty joke so thats on you but the other bit -”

“I was reacting to pheromones?” 

“Basically.” Hyuk looked around and began patting at the couch cushions. “I swore I brought some snacks over-” There was a rustling sound as he pulled a small bag out from where it’d been jammed between the seat and back and opened it loudly and began eating. “Anyways, this is good, y’all are compatible.” He grinned with crumbs on his jaw. 

“What how does that matter? We aren’t going to  _ mate! _ ”

“No, but they say the sex is better this way, I hear.”

Jaehwan reached for a pillow defensively and balled his fists into it. How was he talking about having sex with Hongbin? “We- we aren’t going to have sex! He hates me.” It’s true. Hongbin could barely be civil with him. Beatuful as he was, as  _ compatible _ as Hyuk was insisting they were - there was just no way sex was in the cards. 

Hyuk snorted into his snacks. 

“What?”

“Dude, he was eyeing you the second you walked up to the balcony of the food court. He was so freakin’ embarassed about not controlling his Rush. Older half-Cetans can do it, so can full Cetans - you can barely even tell his parent is Rushing when it happens. But ‘bin’s not that great at it, yet. He was self-conscious over his lack of control and it’s obvious affect on you. It’s why he was so pissy. Oh, and you being an objectifying-speciest and making it so he can’t hook up with you even though you’re totally his type and compatible. Stars, the good sex he’s knowingly missing out on.” 

Jaehwan’s brain fried at the phrase 'hook up'. “But - he hates me,” he repeated. He narrowed his eyes at Hyuk. “Why are you telling me all this? You’re his best friend.”

“Yeah, and I think he’s being an idiot about you. Especially now, knowing about-” Hyuk made an obscene gesture with his hands then considered Jaehwan for a long moment. “I saw you the other day. In front of the elevators.” Jaehwan looked at him, confused, brain trying to come up with what day he could possibly be talking about. 

“With the Yang brothers,” Hyuk added and the memory came back to him. “You’re all right. I think you’re just ignorant and kinda dumb, not hateful. I think you’d be good for him. And now that I know you’re compatible... well even better. You’re not as bad as you seemed that first day, I think.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“Sure thing.” Hyuk stood, snacks in hand. “Anyways I heard Hakyeon’s been talking to you. Listen to him. Actually, just listen more in general, and you know, be nice to him. And I’ll see if I can’t make him be nicer to you.”

With that, Hyuk meandered off to his room to snack in peace. 

Jaehwan sat contemplating everything Hyuk had said for so long that he must have fallen asleep because he woke to being shaken awake by Taekwoon’s gentle hand. 

“Hey,” Taekwoon said with an apologetic smile. “Dinner is ready.”

“Oh-” Jaehwan sat up and scrubbed at his face. “Yeah.” He stood and stretched. Wonsik, Hyuk and Hakyeon were already seated at the table, digging in to the food. Jaehwan went to the kitchen to load up a plate. Hongbin was already there, fixing a drink. Jaehwan didn’t bother to greet him. 

As was his habit, Jaehwan grabbed a tray for his stuff so he could eat in his room, but before he could put his plate on it, it was taken from his hands. He looked up to watch Hongbin return the tray to its cupboard and pick up Jaehwan’s food then take it to the table and leave it in front of one of the empty seats. 

Through all of it Hongbin hadn’t even looked at him. Still, though, Jaehwan felt he should say something. “Uh-” The words died on his lips as Hyuk gave him a glare from the table and then waved for him to just come sit down. 

  
  


Over the next week Hongbin didn’t exactly warm up to Jaehwan, but he definitely defrosted. It made their time in the lab nearly pleasant. Well, not pleasant but at least it wasn’t fraught. 

They were able to successfully breed another batch of mollusks, eventually. The breeding had been nothing like the first. It had taken seven tries and multiple body contortions to get the first pair to just attach. When the buggers finally swam away connected, he and Hongbin were a mess of sweaty, entangled arms. 

“Finally,” Jaehwan breathed and beside him Hongbin huffed a laugh of relief. Their eyes met for a brief second and Hongbin gave him an enormous smile, dimples appearing on his cheeks. Jaehwan’s brain short circuited and Hongbin realized what he was doing and pulled himself away. 

“Freaky mollusks,” Hongbin said, looking anywhere but Jaehwan. Jaehwan grunted and stood up to help Hongbin clean up the lab for the next morning. A dozen terrible jokes flitted through his mind but he said none of them, opting to just enjoy the sensation of companionable silence. 

Jaehwan decided to take a risk the next morning as they were leaving the lab, tank temperatures readjusted and happily pregnant mollusks slumbering. “Breakfast?” he asked. He expected a glare and a brushoff but instead Hongbin nodded and followed him down to the community floor that housed a few small spaces where one could get already prepared food. It wasn’t quite a cafe, and they were definitely not on a date but Hongbin warmed up to commiserating over their shared workload. 

That success inspired him to invite Hongbin to the baths. Taekwoon, Hakyeon and he had taken to making it a weekly thing - a chance to soak in some hot steam and chat about ship-life. 

He was going to consider it a rejection until Hyuk invited himself along and pointedly informed Jaehwan that Hongbin didn’t like going to communal baths. 

“Why?” he asked as Hyuk scrubbed down his back. 

“He’s self conscious.”

Jaehwan snorted. “What on Earth could he be self-conscious about, he’s fucking gorgeous and walks around like he knows it.”

“Think about it.”

Jaehwan could honestly think of a single reason Hongbin could be embarrassed by coming to the baths. “Wait, does he really -”

“He doesn’t like to be shirtless,” Hyuk said. 

“Oh.” Hongbin really did have tentacles. The bright complexion stood out but wasn’t too far off of the human baseline. Tentacles on the other hand - “He doesn’t have to be self-conscious about that. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just part of him.”

“Try living in a world where people like him are always in the porn vids but never in the movies then see how you'd feel walking around, naked, in front of a bunch of Terrans.”

Jaehwan took the point and resolved not to invite Hongbin to the baths again. 

“Anyways, scrub me now,” Hyuk commanded. 


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: attempted sexual assault in this chapter.

A few days later, Hyuk invited him to stay and watch them play the latest fighting game downloaded to the ship’s system. Hongbin didn’t glare at him to go away, so Jaewhan took that as an invitation and sat to watch.

It was a fighting game that, apparently, Hongbin was very good at and Hyuk was very much not. 

“Alright, put on another game if you’re going to keep whining,” Hongbin snapped at Hyuk after his 10th straight loss. “I swear,” he mumbled. 

Where Jaehwan would have been chagrined and embarrassed at being snapped at like that, Hyuk merely simpered and blew him a kiss, standing to go through the different games. “Whatever,” Hongbin said and stood, walking to the restroom. 

A half-second after the door closed behind Hongbin the block door opened and Wonshik came rushing in. “Stop, stop stopstop,” he screeched, waving a vid-disk in his hands. Hyuk stood and looked at him like he’d gone crazy. “Seriously, stop, no games, we _have_ to watch this.” He skidded across the floor on his socks and fell into Hongbin’s old seat. 

“What is it?” Jaehwan asked. 

“It’s the latest undead flick by Sango.” 

“Ooooooh,” Hyuk whispered and reached to grab the chip. “I didn’t think it was out, yet.”

“One of the analysts in Lab 4 is apparently his cousin - she got an advanced copy and well, I did her a few favors-” Wonshik blushed, revealing exactly what kind of favors those were, “and she gave me this. We _have_ to watch it.”

“Watch what?” Hongbin asked, rejoining them. 

“Latest Sango,” Hyuk said, slotting the chip into the entertainment system then jumping in under Hongbin to claim the lounger he’d been in earlier, sprawling so as to take it up completely. Hongbin growled at him but he just grinned back innocently and looked over to the sofa Jaehwan sat on alone. “There’s room over there.”

Hongbin punched him - Jaehwan was sure it was supposed to be affectionate but Hyuk whimpered in real pain as he massaged his arm vigorously. Hongbin perched on the opposite side of the sofa from Jaehwan, resolutely staring at the screen and nowhere else. 

Just as the opening credits began, their block door opened again and Hakyeon’s voice came over them. “I heard it was movie night!” Behind him, Taekwoon was laden with bottles - so much alcohol. “We hit the commissary on our way down, so what’s the film?”

Wonshik, mildly peeved, paused the vid and looked up at them. “The latest Sango flick.”

“Oh,” Hakyeon wrinkled his nose. “Really? Y’all like that shit?”

Jaehwan, actually, really _didn’t_ \- horror was his least favorite of anything - but Hongbin was sitting right next to him (ok half a couch away but outside the lab it was the closest he’d ever been and he’d actually smiled at Jaehwan once) so he would be damned if he even thought of leaving. 

“Fine,” Hakyeon said. “Scooch,” he commanded and Hongbin moved to the middle cushion, not touching Jaehwan, but not far from it. Taekwoon sat where Hongbin had been and began setting the various bottles on the hearth around the fire pit they used as a coffee table while Hakyeon went to get the bottle opener from the kitchen. Returning, he passed off the bottle opener to Wonshik and settled himself on Taekwoon’s lap. Hongbin grunted as he was forced a bit closer to Jaehwan. 

He blindly accepted the glass of whatever that was passed to him and he gulped it down. “Take it easy,” Hakyeon said and he stretched a leg over Hongbin to tap Jaehwan on the thigh.

Jaehwan nodded and turned his glass as the movie started back up and the lights dimmed into non-existance. It was - just as bad as he had expected. The effort to keep from screaming took all the effort that the alcohol was robbing from him. 

Towards the end a zombie lurched out of the darkness and Jaehwan screamed and found himself half in Hongbin’s lap. The room swam around him and he realized there were arms around his waist, holding him. He was pressed against Hongbin’s chest, his arms holding him tight for a fraction of a second. 

“S-sorry,” he stammered with a slur. 

“S’ok,” Hongbin slurred back and let him go so he could slide back into his seat. Bleary eyed, Jaehwan looked around the room, to check if everyone was really staring at him like his anxiety said they were. Wonshik was passed out snoring, so was Hakyeon, curled up in Taekwoon’s arms. Hyuk’s eyes were riveted on the screen and Taekwoon wasn’t even looking at the screen, having opted to read from his tablet instead. 

The coffee table at the center of the room was littered with empty bottles and the cup in front of him was empty. 

He looked at Hongbin again and Hongbin was staring at him. He flushed and realized, as the lights from the film brightened, that Hongbin was flushed as well. “Sorry,” he said again, his voice nearly swallowed by the swooning music in the background.

Hongbin placed a hand on his thigh and smiled, head tilting. “It’s ok,” he said, over articulating. He smiled again, eyes bright. He was drunk, Jaehwan realized. Smiling back he realized he was as well. They sat like that as time slipped by indeterminately. 

Hongbin began sliding forward towards him and so he began to inch forward as well, focused on the soft curve of Hongbin’s lips. “Sorry for being shitty,” Jaehwan said. 

“Sorry for being a dick,” Hongbin replied. 

‘Fucking A- _mazing!”_ Wonshik shouted and stood up to turn on the lights. Hongbin and Jaehwan jumped and flew apart.  A pillow soared thru the air towards Wonshik and hit him smack in the face, toppling him back into his seat. 

“Asshole,” Hyuk said. "And you slept thru like half of it."

“What!? I did not, what’d I do?” Wonshik asked, all affronted, wide-eyed innocence. 

Hyuk looked knowingly at Jaehwan and Hongbin. “Nothing,” he said with disgust. “Come on.” He stood and pulled Hongbin up onto his feet, swaying as he took all his weight.

“Oh, I’m drunk,” Hongbin said. 

“Yes you are.” Hyuk grunted as he maneuvered them around the coffee table to their side of the block. 

“You are drunk too.” Hongbin smirked at Jaehwan. “Cutie.” He arched a brow and gave a deeper, wider smirk. 

Jaehwan’s blood felt too hot for his skin.

“Yes he is, you dick, now come on we’re going to bed.” Hyuk was thoroughly done with everything. 

“Wait!” Jaehwan shouted. Hyuk paused and looked over Hongbin’s shoulder at him. “We have to be in the lab at 3am!”

“Oh, fuck,” Hongbin whined and tried to throw himself on the ground.

Hyuk braced himself and wrapped his arms around Hongbin. “Oh-my-god, you jerk,” he hissed at Hongbin. “Ok, Jae, I’ll set his alarm.”

“No point in sleeping,” Hongbin said soberly. “Will have to stay up.”

Hyuk cursed him out the whole way to the bedroom, voice still audible after the door closed behind them. 

“We’re going to bed too,” Taekwoon said, bracing his legs and moving his arms under Hakyeon’s limbs so he could stand. Jaehwan was duly impressed. Hakyeon’s sleeping head lolled on Taekwoon’s shoulder as he walked to their room. 

“You ok getting to bed on your own?” Wonshik asked Jaehwan. Jaehwan nodded and waved him off. He managed to stand and get himself into his room and onto his bed, collapsing into a drunken haze as the room swam around him. 

 _Hongbin called me a cutie,_ he thought, giddy and giggly. 

  


 

“Oh, shit.” Jaehwan jerked straight up, his alarm blaring on the bedside table. “Fuck,” he looked at the time. 03:20. “Shit, I’m late.”

He swirled some mouthwash, spit it in the kitchen sink and ran out the door, slippers still on and lab-coat half off. 

He made it down to the lab in record time and scrubbed down, sliding open the door to the lab as quietly as humanly possible. If Hongbin was here he didn’t want to trigger a hangover-headache or just in general be too much of a nuisance. 

“C’mon, we can help you. I’ve done it before.” Jaehwan jerked his head up in surprise. That was not a voice he recognized. 

“I don’t need any help.” Hongbin’s voice was a threatening growl. 

“You can’t _mate_ these two all by yourself.” A third voice came up from the tanks, all leering menace. 

Stepping onto the catwalk above the tanks, Jaewhan looked down to see the Yang brothers standing on either side of Hongbin, so close as to nearly be pressed up against him.

“I said,” the first one spoke again, “I’ve done this before.” He reached for the specimen in Hongbin’s hand.  Hongbin tried to jerk his hand away but the other brother stopped him, gripping his wrist. The first one grabbed the other wrist and reached his free hand around to stroke at Hongbin’s back. “Oh, there it is.” 

Hongbin roared, skin almost glowing a bright red, and threw himself forward, trying to break their grip. Acting on instinct, Jaehwan jumped over the catwalk railing and came crashing down on the brother stroking Hongbin’s back. The man fell and Jaehwan lurched up onto his feet. 

“I don’t know what you are doing,” Jaehwan said, “but you two better get the fuck out of here before I report you.”

The other brother released Hongbin’s hand like it was electric. 

“Hey,” the one on the ground said as he stood, “we weren’t doing anything. We were just passing by and saw your friend here was all alone in here and you can’t mate mollusks alone. We were just offering some friendly help.”

“Well I’m here now, so he doesn’t need you.” Jaehwan spat. “See yourselves out.”

The brothers glared at him but turned and made their way out of the lab. Jaehwan watched them every step of the way. Once they were gone, he locked the lab door and turned back to Hongbin. 

“I passed them on the way down here,” he managed through gritted teeth. “They must have realized I was alone and followed me. I was already in here when they came in.”

“Are you ok?” Jaehwan could see his hands shaking and the flush to his skin looked almost painful. 

Hongbin shook his head, hair falling over his eyes. “I’m fine. Just pissed as fuck!” He kicked a leg out and connected with a steel bucket they used for mopping. It crumpled and clattered against the far wall. 

“We need to report them.”

“No.” Hongbin said and his eyes burned Jaehwan where he stood. “Don’t you fucking dare. That’s what they want - trouble. They’ll just make life miserable.”

“But-”

“Let it go.” He spun on his heel and picked up the mollusk that had fallen to the ground in the scuffle. “She looks ok. Lets breed these fucks and go to bed.”

Jaehwan nodded and went to get a male. 

“I’ll do that,” Hongbin said as Jaehwan joined him tank-side. He plucked the male from Jaehwan’s hands and placed the female in its place. “It’s the least I could do.”

He bent over the tank and began massaging the male. Jaehwan submerged his hands and began to stroke the female. “Thanks,” he said.

Hongbin scoffed. “No,” he said. He looked up and met Jaehwan’s eyes. “Thank you.” Jaehwan could feel the effort behind his words. “Thank you, Jaehwan,” Hongbin said quietly.

Jaehwan ducked his head and focused on the mollusk in his hands. “Of course. You’re welcome. I’m sorry they-”

“Don’t apologize for that trash.”

They lapsed into silence. 

“Did they hurt you?” Jaehwan asked. 

“No.” Hongbin’s voice was close. He’d stepped beside him, shoulder pressed up to Jaehwan’s. “No, I’m ok, really.”

“Good. I’m glad.” 

Hongbin’s fingers slid along his and they fastened the specimens together. It took on the first time. With relief, they sank to the floor, backs to the tank where the mollusks were happily fornicating.

“Please, don’t say anything,” Hongbin said. “Please.”

Everything in Jaehwan rebelled against it but he nodded. “Ok.”  

For a breathless moment they looked at one another. Hongbin looked boyish, small, all his blustering swagger gone. There was a flush to his skin that wasn’t anger or rage. Jaehwan recognized it. With all his effort he forced himself to stand, to break away. He felt drunk again. 

“Let’s clean up,” he managed. 

Hongbin grunted in agreement and the two of them got to work. 

“Have you slept?” Jaehwan asked as they left the lab. Hongbin shook his head. “You sleep when we get back. I’ll adjust the temperature in the morning.”

Too tired and spent to fight, Hongbin just nodded. 


	7. Chapter 6

“Hey, got a sec?” Jaehwan asked as he tapped on the half-open door to Hyuk’s room a few days later. 

Hyuk pulled his headphones off and pushed back from his desk where his tablet displayed an anatomy text. “Sure, sup?”

Jaehwan entered and pushed the door closed, leaning against it. “So - I can’t tell details but I need to screw over a couple of researchers. And I figured you’d be the best person to get to help.”

Hyuk narrowed his eyes. “The Yangs?” he asked. Relieved that Hyuk already knew and he wouldn’t be put into any awkward positions, Jaehwan nodded. “Say no more, I already got some ideas.”

With a few taps he pulled up a different screen with a long, elaborate list of options ranging from mildly obscene to horrific. Jaehwan’s jaw dropped as he leaned over the desk to read thru Hyuks… inventiveness. “Ok nothing that will get us thrown off the ship.” Jaehwan really didn’t want a permanent black mark on his record. 

“Good point, those will be Plan B if those assholes don’t learn their lesson.” Hyuk poked at several options and shoved them  onto another document. “How about this one?”

Jaehwan nodded. Perfect. 

There was a knock at the door and Jaehwan stood, guiltily, and turned. Hongbin stuck his head in the door and paused before speaking, blinking in surprise at seeing Jaehwan. “Uh - dinner,” he said. 

“Be right out,” Hyuk said, and used his toe to close the door. “Ok,” he whispered, “‘Bin will lose his fucking mind if he finds out we’re doing  _ anything _ but those shits need to get what’s coming to them, so meet me tomorrow morning. ‘Bin’s been trying to go to the gym at that time, so we can talk while he’s gone.”

Jaehwan nodded and saw himself out. 

In the end it was nothing earth shattering, or devastating. Just permanently embarrassing. No decent person wanted their personal porn searches blasted to all their coworkers, but the Yang brother’s predilections were particularly cringe-worthy. 

Hakyeon’s looks made it certain he suspected Jaehwan and Hyuk had had something to do with it but all the neck chops in the world couldn’t get them to turn on one another. All they could do was collapse into giggles over “Domineering Boshian spends all the money in your bank account.” Who knew they were in to financial dominance?

“I know it was you two,” Hongbin said after their fourth and last successful mating was done. The mating pair were floating in the water and they were leaning, forearms propped on the tank and panting lightly with the effort of getting the two to just fuck already. 

“It wasn’t,” Jaehwan said but his heart wasn’t in it. Inwardly he preened. 

“Thanks, for that.”

He turned to look at Hongbin and realized just how close he was. “Yeah,” he managed on a whisper. His lips burned. He licked them. 

“I have tentacles!” 

Jaehwan nearly fell into the tank as his elbow slipped. “Uh, I know.” He brought his arm up and winced. He’d scraped his tricep on the rim of the tank. 

“I’m sorry,” Hongbin said. He reached out to hold Jaehwan’s arm up, looking at the scrape. “Sorry.”

“Stop that,” Jaehwan said. The scrape would have been nothing if he’d been wearing his lab coat, but the last mating had been an exercise in exhausted frustration and he’d ripped it off after the 10th failed attempt. “I’m fine.” He met Hongbin’s gaze. “And you’re Cetan, I know you have tentacles.”

“Not everyone has them, and I’m only half. But I do. Have them.”

“I-”

“I just thought you were about to kiss me and I just thought you should know. In case its a deal breaker. Fuck.” He scrunched his eyes tight and then turn and fled the lab leaving Jaehwan gaping. 

“Well, shit,” Jaehwan said. With a sigh he got up and set to loading the mating tank with specimens alone. 

There was a note on his door when he got back to his room. 

Sorry. 

I’ll check the tanks in the morning 

-H

Jaehwan crumpled up the paper and tossed it in his waste-basket and threw himself on the bed. He  _ had _ been about to kiss Hongbin. And he already knew about the tentacles. Admittedly, Hongbin had not told him about them himself, which Jaehwan could see as admirable. 

Still, Jaehwan didn’t  _ care _ . Yes, Hongbin was attractive, Stars, especially when he was in a Rush (which seemed about to start up again) but he was also adorable in the middle of the night when he was sleep deprived and grumpy and whining about mollusk duty. He was terrifying and intimidating when ripping through the other interns on video games. But he was also quiet and sweet when it was only a couple people in the block and he would go around and see if anyone wanted a drink or snack. 

On top of all that, he’d given Jaehwan a second chance, had actually let him make up for the horrible way he’d come on board. They had grown to be friendly, studying together, sharing breakfast after taking care of their mollusks. 

He’d say they were pretty close to being actual friends and it was possible they could be more than that. 

The memory of Hyuk’s words came to him. “He’s self-conscious about the tentacles,” and “people like him are only in porn vids and not movies.”

With a sigh and a resolve to talk to Hongbin tomorrow, he shut off his alarm and went to bed. 

  
  


He woke to a clattering sound from the kitchen and what sounded like Wonshik shouting. Stumbling out of his room he managed to open the door in time to see Hongbin flying out of the block. 

“Oh, no,” he said, heart sinking. Scrambling for his pants, he eyed the clock on his table. 1100. “Shit.” 

Half dressed, he ran out of the suite and took the stairs three at a time to get down to the lab. Hongbin was already there, head hanging in shame, net in his hand. The mollusks were swimming around their too-warm tank. The breeding was unsuccessful, the whole batch ruined. 

“‘Bin-”

“Don’t say anything,” Hongbin snarled. “It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.” 

He stalked past Jaehwan, stepping wide to avoid touching him. 

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Heechul.”

Jaehwan followed Hongbin as he made his way up to Heechul’s office and stood behind him as he hovered at the door. Heechul finished up whatever he was writing at his desk and waved them in. “Is everything ok?”

Hongbin refused Heechul’s gesture for them to sit, so Jaehwan did as well. “I lost the last batch of specimens.” 

Jaehwan looked at him in shock as he took full responsibility. “We,” he corrected. “We lost the last batch.”

“It was my fault,” Hongbin said with a glare for Jaehwan to shut his mouth. 

Summoning the indomitable spirit of Hyuk, Jaehwan ignored him and focused on Heechul. “We both overslept our alarms and didn’t get to reset the tank temperature. The last batch of pregnancies didn’t take. Have we screwed the researchers too much?”

“Ok-” Heechul took in a deep breath, “let me take a look at the research schedule. Sometimes they have time built in for contingencies.” He tapped at his tablet. “If you can get another batch bred tonight then it could work within their time frame. I’ll need to message the head researcher.”

He looked at the pair and gave them heavy looks. Jaehwan wanted to sink into the ground but he held firm. This was  _ their _ fuck up - not just Hongbin’s. 

“I cannot impress upon you enough the absolute lack of professionalism in a screw up like this. You are lucky. I know you have an exam tomorrow. You’re just going to have to find some way to make it work.” 

“Thank you, Heechul, sir,” Jaehwan said, breathing a sigh of relief. 

Hongbin was so stiff Jaehwan was scared he’d break but he managed a nod and a mumbled, “thanks.”

Once out of the office, Hongbin said, “I’ll meet you tonight. I’m sorry.” Then he was gone. 

Jaehwan understood, finally getting Hongbin the way Hyuk seemed to. He was angry, but at himself, not Jaehwan. He was probably internally beating himself up to a pulp. There was no sense in trying to argue with him at the moment so Jaehwan was just going to have to make it through the next day. 

Jaehwan went down to the lab to prep the tanks for tonight then, deciding to settle for a barely passing grade, he opted to return to his room and sleep instead of making it to study group. 

That night Hongbin met him in the lab and they set to work getting another batch of specimens ready. They worked in seamless silence, Jaehwan sensing that that was what Hongbin most needed. 

“I feel like I’m always apologizing to you and thanking you,” Hongbin said, finally, as the tank was descending into its mating frenzy. 

“I know. It’s ok.” 

“I was so upset last night I couldn’t sleep - so I figured I’d just stay up until it was time to check on them, and wound up passing right out and sleeping through my alarm.”

“I understand, this is hell on the system, the midnight breedings. I should have checked on you.”

“I would have done this by myself.” Hongbin gave him a nudge with his shoulder. 

“Well, I’m not sure how you could have managed to mate them by yourself with only two-” Jaehwan broke off. “Oh.”

Hongbin flushed and moved to step away. Jaehwan reached out and grabbed his wrist. “No. Stay. I wanted to say this last night.” Suddenly the full force of Hongbin’s eyes were on him and Jaehwan felt his mind go blank. “Uh- Ilikeyoutentaclesandall,” he finally blurted.

“What?” 

“I - like you - tentacles and all.” 

“Oh.” 

“But you don’t have to like me back. And this isn’t a weird thing. I just wanted you to know.” All of a sudden Jaehwan couldn’t stop himself from babbling. “Anyways you do with that information what you want but um, what do you think of studying for the exam together while we wait for the check-in on the tank? That way we don’t miss it.” 

“Um, yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

As they were closing up the lab, Hongbin muttered. “I like you, too.” Jaehwan nearly tripped over his feet. “I actually saw your headshot before we came on board and I recognized you in the food court. I thought you were cute. I was upset at myself that day because I woke up and started Rushing and it was embarrassing. I’m not good at controlling it.”

“Oh,” Jaehwan said. So Hyuk had been right. 

“I have a bad habit of shutting down when I’m embarrassed. It makes me look pissed. I wasn’t pissed at first. And then-”

“Yeah, about that. I get it now,” Jaehwan said. And really, he finally did. “I didn’t realize how what I said was bad but after getting to know you, reading the things Hakyeon gave me, seeing how you are treated. I was really wrong. I’m sorry.”

“You already kinda apologized but thank you.”

“Thank you,” Jaehwan said and Hongbin gave him a confused look. “For giving me a second chance.”

Hongbin smiled. “It helps that you’re kinda cute. And… that you stood up to people being assholes.”

“It was the right thing to do,” Jaehwan insisted. “I didn’t do it so you would like me!” Suddenly he was worried that he’d seem like a try-hard.

“Oh, I know. But that’s why it made me feel like it was okay to like you.”

Jaehwan flushed, face burning to his ear tips. That was the second time Hongbin had said he’d liked him. The second time Hongbin had called him cute. 

“Anyways, I’ll work on my temper.” Hongbin held open the door to the library and they made their way to a study room.

They tried as hard as they could to focus which was incredibly difficult to do around blushing smiles, giggles and a particularly vigorous game of footsie. Both of them were too sleep deprived for decorum. 

They went together to adjust the tank then went and bombed their exam together before returning, bleary-eyed, hair a mess and stinking of salt water, to the block. Hakyeon banished both of them to showers and sleep. 

“I’ll be waking you up in time to make dinner. You’re up tonight.” 

Unable to speak, both of them simply nodded and went to do as told.


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is our finale! There are two updates being posted at the same time, so if you see this, make sure you click thru after this chapter for the epilogue.
> 
> Also, warning: so much smut incoming.

There was a soft hand pressed to Jaehwan's head.  _ Ugh _ , he thought as he cracked open his eyes. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck. Blinking blearily, he looked up to see Hakyeon sitting beside him, brushing the hair falling over his forehead.

"Hey," he said and Jaehwan responded with an inarticulate groan. "Yeah, probably time for you to wake up if you don't want to fuck your sleep cycle up completely."

Jaehwan whined and flopped over onto his stomach. Hakyeon jerked the pillow out from under his head and, in one swift motion, brought it down on the back of Jaehwan's head. He whimpered.

"Ya, c'mon, get out of bed."

The bed shifted as Hakyeon stood and the overhead light of Jaehwan's room came on. "I swear I hate you," Jaehwan mumbled into his bedsheets, low enough that Hakyeon couldn't possibly make it out.

"Whatever, I love you, too."

He left and didn't close the door behind him so the sounds of the rest of the suite filtered into Jaehwan's room. Wonshik and Hyuk were playing a fighting game. Loudly.

After a few minutes spent vainly struggling to fall back to sleep, Jaehwan admitted defeat and rolled out of bed. "Dammit, Hakyeon," he muttered.

He slumped out of his room, half skating on socked feet. A hand run through his hair told him it would be useless to try to get it to lay flat. He didn't bother. Leo was sitting on the couch, Hyuk on the lounger and Wonshik sprawled on the floor as they played. Taekwoon was usually cuddly, and he had the most space, so he threw himself down on the couch and threw an arm around Taekwoon. He mumbled a greeting and shifted, accommodating Jaehwan.

"Where's 'bin?" Jaehwan managed once he'd gained a bit more coherence.

"Sleeping," Taekwoon said.

Jaehwan screwed up his face. Well, that wasn't fair. How dare Hakyeon let him off while he forced Jaehwan up. They both had cooking duty and they both had to be up tomorrow morning for class.

Muttering about double standards, he jerked himself up and strode over to Hongbin's bedroom. He'd be nice about waking him up, he promised. Opening the door to his room, however, he froze. Hakyeon was cuddled around Hongbin and they were talking softly.

"Oh," Jaehwan said, dumbly. Hakyeon lifted his head and half turned to see him. "Uh, sorry, was just - " Unable to finish the thought, he shut the door and retreated to the seating area. He wasn't sure what he'd come in on but it had been cuddling, and whispering. A spike of jealousy stabbed at him and he fought to claw it out. Hakyeon was very cuddly, he had been affectionate and gentle when he'd first woken Jaehwan, after all. He cuddled with everyone.

And Hongbin liked Jaehwan. Had admitted to it at least. 

He tucked himself back into Taekwoon's side and stared at Hongbin's closed door. Platonic cuddling was nothing to be jealous of.

And he wasn't, not really. He just - he wished he could be cuddling Hongbin. He wished he could be whispering secretly back and forth with Hongbin. He wished he could be doing a lot of things with Hongbin.

The door to Hongbin's room opened again after a few minutes and Hongbin stepped out, followed by Hakyeon, and froze, giving the room a stare. Actually, giving Jaehwan a stare. Jaehwan blinked and realized he was snuggled around Taekwoon, absently stroking a hand through his hair.

"Uh," he said as he scrambled to stand, "we have dinner duty - um."

"Yeah, I think we need to go down to the commissary though, I don't know that we have anything that we could cook-.” He paused then amended, “that I could cook."

"I went earlier, we're stocked on basics," Hakyeon said, taking Jaehwan's place on the sofa and wrapping himself around Taekwoon.

"Oh, uh, I guess we're set, then?" Jaehwan said and walked towards the kitchen. Hongbin followed him.

_ God, this is awkward as fuck _ , Jaehwan thought to himself. Still, it had to be done. He opened up the door of the pantry, pulling out the first apron on the hook and handing it blindly to Hongbin. It was taken from his hand and he pulled out the second one, tying it on.

"I can make noodles," Hongbin managed. Jaehwan hazarded a look at him and Hongbin gave him a brilliant smile. The tension in Jaehwan instantly disappeared and he smiled back. It was just Hongbin. They'd been working side by side for weeks, in the lab. What was a little dinner?

.....apparently it was more than they can handle.

"So," Hongbin said, standing in the entrance to the kitchen and looking at the rest of their squad in the living room, the beeping of the fire alarm gone, but its memory still stinging their ears. There was a cough from Hyuk, maybe, Jaehwan couldn't be sure from the smoke and the sound of the stove vent working overtime.

"I think we're going to have to order in from the cafe," Jaewhan said with a wheeze.

"How," Hakyeon said, coming in to observe the disaster, "how did you manage to mess up noodles?"

"Uh-" Jaehwan stood in the mess of the kitchen and shrugged.

"How did it go off the rails so fast?"

Again, all Jaehwan could do was shrug.

"Ok, well -" Hakyeon waved away the smoke so he could take in both Jaehwan and Hongbin, "-we're going to go down to the cafeteria for dinner. And -" he surveyed the state of the block, "probably to the entertainment deck for a movie or ... something. You two are on cleanup."

"But what about our dinner?" Jaehwan whined.

"We'll bring you leftovers," Hakyeon declared and he spun and began to round up the rest of the block. Slipping on their shoes he herded them out and waved a ta-ta to Hongbin and Jaehwan.

"I don't think we're going to be on cooking-duty together, again," he said to Hongbin.

Hongbin snorted and handed him a dishrag. "I think that's a fair statement."

Jaehwan sighed and took the dishrag. "So just pile up all the dishes, I think? I'll let them soak while we," he looked at the counters, the floor, the ceiling, "deal with this."

Hongbin nodded and began stacking the pans and bowls, and cutlery, and cutting boards, and platters....

Jaehwan turned the tap onto it's hottest and began filling up the sink with soapy water. Hongbin scraped the excess food from each stacked dish into the trash incinerator and handed it to Jaehwan, who dutifully accepted them and dropped them into the sink, giving them a cursory scrub.

Taking a pot, his fingers brushed against Hongbin's and he startled. They looked at one another and he got another heart-stopping smile.

"So that one is going to need to soak a while," Hongbin said with a nod to the pot. It was caked black on the bottom.

"Might just be best to trash it," Jaehwan said with a huffed laugh.

Hongbin handed him another dish and as Jaehwan took it, he twisted just a hair so their hands brushed again. Jaehwan's stomach lurched and his heart skipped a beat. The look they shared this time wasn't shy at all.

The next plate, Jaehwan slid his fingers along Hongbin's before he grabbed it and added it to the sink. Each of the remaining dishes were similarly transferred and then he turned, using his dish rag to wipe down the counter, or as it looked at that moment, the scene where their dinner was murdered.

"Do you think anything survived?" He asked, pitching his voice like someone from a cop show.

"Doubtful," Hongbin said, chiming in on the same pitch, "whatever happened here, there were no survivors."

Jaehwan laughed and mopped up a pile of desiccated vegetables and tossed them into the trash. Hongbin's answering laugh was a delight. Jaehwan knew he was grinning like an idiot and he didn't care.

"I'm going to get a mop for that," Hongbin said, waving at the ocean of soy sauce occupying one corner of the kitchen.

"You could just get down on hands and knees." Jaehwan froze. The words had just marched themselves right out of his mouth. He was sure Hongbin was going to flip out but all he did was grin, arch a brow then spin on his heels and sink to his knees, dish rag applied to the spill. "Hand me more towels," he ordered and Jaehwan obeyed.

He tried not to stare, really, he did, but Hongbin was putting on a show and it would be rude not to appreciate the curve of his ass in almost-too-tight pants.

The mess mopped up, they both turned to the stove. "I'll wipe with wet, you dry," Jaehwan offered and Hongbin grunted assent.

He soaked another rag and ran it though the drying noodles and mush that had been an honest attempt at a meal. He tried to focus but Hongbin was standing right next to him, much closer than strictly required, and his fingers were toying with a spare rag as he waited. Jaehwan wiped down the first two burners the Hongbin was there, hands following closely behind as he dried the surface.

The breath froze in Jaehwan's chest, he hardly dared exhale. They didn't quite touch, but their hands chased each other over the stove, cleaning, ostensibly, but they almost collided several times.

The stove done, Hongbin looked at him and the look in his eyes - Jaehwan couldn't hold it for very long. "Um," he surveyed the kitchen. They'd actually done a pretty good job. "All that's left is the dishes."

From the corner of his eye he could see Hongbin slowly rolling up the cuffs of his long sleeves, curling them up over his wrists then his forearms, then just past his elbows. He suddenly felt very thirsty.

Hongbin plunged his hands into the soapy water and the bubbles on the surface spun around and shifted. Jaehwan stood next to him, right in front of the empty sink, water running and ready to rinse. Hongbin handed him a measuring cup and, hands shaking and slippery, Jaehwan fumbled it, letting it fall with a loud clatter. "Sorry," he mumbled and reached for the cup.

Hongbin half turned and, sliding his hand down Jaehwan's forearm, he closed his fingers around Jaewhan's where it gripped the cup. "You dropped that," Hongbin said, voice low and breathy. Jaehwan, heart galloping in his chest, looked right into Hongbin's eyes, and for a half-second they looked at one another then immediately erupted into laughter. "Fuck, that was cheesy," Hongbin said as he leaned back, hand up to half cover his mouth. Jaehwan grabbed Hongbin's wrist.

In the future he would never be able to say who had started it, who had moved first, who had kissed who, but it was like in an instant all the tension that had been building between them released. Their lips were on one another and they were pressed together, fingers threading themselves tight where their hands met, lips sliding against one another. He slotted himself against Hongbin's body.

There was a moan. He wasn't sure if it was his, or if it was Hongbin's, but he felt it in his core, shaking him. Hongbin's free hand had slid up into his hair, fingers pressing him close, tight.

Eventually, they broke apart, both gasping for breath. Jaehwan stepped back, hands reaching for the counter behind him, it's solidity the only thing keeping his knees from giving out completely.

"That was-" Hongbin breathed.

"Yeah," Jaehwan finished. "More," he said and he reached out to Hongbin, pulling him in close for another kiss.

Somehow he was sitting on the counter, Hongbin standing between his spread thighs, tongue sliding over his. Jaehwan had both hands on Hongbin's shoulders, squeezing him tight. Hongbin moaned, he could tell because the sound made his cock leap in his loose pajama pants. He sqeezed his legs tight around Hongbin's hips. He slid his hands down from Hongbin's shoulders, pressing them over his shoulder blades and towards his spine.

Hongbin froze and pulled back, eyes wide. Breathless, he looked at Jaehwan, eyes wide. "Stop," he whispered and Jaehwan instantly pulled back, hands off Hongbin, legs dropping with a thud against the cabinets.

"I'm sorry, sorry," he stammered. "What did I do?"

"I-" Hongbin closed his eyes, as if he couldn't bare to look at Jaehwan. "I think we should stop."

"Oh, okay-" Jaehwan's voice wavered as he spoke. He shifted, moving his leg so that Hongbin was no longer between them. "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

"No, no this - this is perfect." His eyes fluttered open. "Great, actually."

Jaehwan thought for a second and then understanding dawned. "It's because I touched your back?"

Unable to look at him, Hongbin nodded. "The ten-" he couldn't finish the word.

"Have - have you ever...before?"

"Yeah," Hongbin admitted. "But it was casual. They," he licked his lips, "they didn't know - about me. I kept my shirt on the whole time."

"We can stop, and just finish cleaning," Jaehwan offered. "Or, we could keep going and you could keep your shirt on. I won't touch your back. It's up to you."

Hongbin regarded him for a long, heated second. "I-" he started but then couldn't finish.

"I don't," Jaehwan started, then paused. Hongbin gave him a subtle nod, encouraging him to continue. "I don't know how to say this without sounding bad."

"Just say it," Hongbin said on a whisper.

"I like the tentacles. Or, I like the idea of them." He took a deep breath. "Not in a 'I like you because you have tentacles' way, but I - they don't - I, I" he fumbled as he tried to find the words.

"You," Hongbin prompted.

He took in a big breath, then on the exhale manage to say, "I think the tentacles are hot and I think you are hot not because I know you have tentacles because I haven't seen them but I think they would be hot because they are yours and I don't think they are a turn off at all." He broke off, feeling dizzy.

They looked at one another, Jaehwan trying to keep from looking needy, or greedy, or demanding.

"I think," Hongbin took in a deep breath. "I think we should go to my bedroom." He scooped Jaehwan up in a sudden move and Jaehwan yelped, clamping his legs back around Hongbin's hips, hands firmly fixed to his shoulders. In a few strides they were across the suite and Hongbin was lowering Jaehwan onto his bed.

"You're so light," Hongbin said, shyly and Jaehwan found himself blushing. Hongbin stepped away for a second and closed the door then sat, perched, actually, on the edge of his bed, not touching Jaehwan. Jaehwan sat, one leg on the floor, and the other bent on the bed, so he could face Hongbin. He could feel Hongbin's unease.

"The first day I saw you," Jaehwan started, "I thought you were the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. My heart nearly exploded."

"I was Rushing," Hongbin said, unable to look at him. "But I thought you were gorgeous too. Something about the shape of your face. I'm sorry I was such a jerk. I was embarrassed."

"I deserved some of it," Jaehwan said. He scooched closer to Hongbin, as close as he could get short of crawling into Hongbin's lap, which is actually where he wanted to be. "We really don't have to do anything."

"I want to, though," Hongbin said and he turned and looked at Jaehwan. "I want to," he repeated forcefully.

Jaehwan parted his lips and then Hongbin bridged the gap between them, kissing him again. Jaehwan groan and melted into it. He could kiss Hongbin forever, he was sure. He had no clue how far they were going to go but he wanted to do everything with Hongbin.

Hongbin scooped him up and pulled him onto his lap. "God, you  _ are  _ so light,” he repeated. 

"Glad you like," Jaehwan said against Hongbin's lips as he caught his breath. He spread his legs so that he could grind himself down on Hongbin and relished Hongbin's gasp. Hands began to slide up under his shirt, warm fingers skimming over the skin of his stomach, his sides, inching up towards his chest. "Yess," he hissed and arched into the touch.

Emboldened, Hongbin rucked up his shirt, exposing Jaehwan to his neck and Jaehwan just ripped the damn thing off. Hongbin's eyes raked over him, taking in the lean muscle he prided himself on. Their eyes met and Hongbin whispered, "gorgeous."

Jaehwan threaded his fingers in Hongbin's hair, it was as silky as he'd always imagined it to be, and long. He tangled it and gave a little tug and Hongbin tilted his long, graceful neck back, an invitation. Jaehwan licked and sucked along his clavicle and up to the soft skin just below Hongbin's ear.

His skin glowed with the red flush as his blood began to rush under where Jaehwan nipped.

"Harder," Hongbin groaned, and Jaehwan clamped his mouth over his silky skin and sucked, tongue swirling in circles. Hongbin's hands clamped on his thighs and he bucked up.

_ Fuck _ , Jaehwan thought.  Hongbin was hard, cock straining against his pants so that it pressed against his own erection. He broke off to catch his breath, pressing his forehead against Hongbin's shoulder. Hongbin thrust up into him again, hands clamped on his thighs and pushing Jaehwan down as he thrust up.

He picked his head up and Hongbin's mouth found his, pulling him into another searing kiss. His hands slid up Jaehwan's thighs to his hips and he ground them together, their cocks ghosting along one another through their clothes. 

Jaehwan rubbed his hands up through Hongbin's hair again, then down his neck and along his shoulders then back up again, mind unraveling at the taste of Hongbin's tongue.

“Touch me,” Hongbin begged and Jaehwan pulled back, his hands still firmly rooted on Hongbin’s shoulders. He looked right into Hongbin’s dark eyes, wide, looking up at him and pleading. He ducked his head and curled into Jaehwan, shrugging his shoulders. “Please, it aches and I need - I - need -”

Jaehwan dropped his hands down and wrapped his arms around Hongbin’s chest, pulling him into a tight hug, his hands clamping down onto his own elbows, forearms crossed over Hongbin’s back, and just, held him. He dropped his head into the nook between Hongbin’s shoulder and neck. All the tension in Hongbin’s body seemed to release and he leaned into Jaehwan. There was a shifting of the shirt under Jaehwan’s arms and he startled but held firm. 

He picked his head up, and arms still fastened around Hongbin, he pressed another kiss to Hongbin’s lips, light, almost chaste, then another, and another. Against his arms he felt the stirring of what must be Hongbin’s tentacles. They strained against the shirt and then he felt it, a soft, silken stroking of his forearms, still crossed behind Hongbin’s back. Hongbin’s hands were on his waist, still. He tightened his already closed eyes and pressed his tongue in past Hongbin’s lips. 

The gentle stroking of his forearms shifted as the tentacles - two of them, dragged themselves over his arms, jumped to his thighs, traced the seams of his pants to the junction of his legs and began to swirl around his aching cock, the thin fabric folding under the tentacle press. He broke off the kiss and, eyes still closed, he asked, “can I?”

He felt Hongbin nod and he opened his eyes, looking down. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but the tentacles were long, slender, the skin soft and silky looking, the same color as Hongbin’s flushed, red, lips. There were two, twisting his pants so they could wrap around the base of his cock, he groaned as they tightened, throbbing in time the pulsing of his own heart. 

“Fuck,” Jaehwan gasped. Another tentacle emerged from Hongbin’s back and ghosted over the skin of his cheek. He turned towards it and it pressed itself to his lips, spreading them, dipping its tip to poke at his tongue then retreating to drag over his lower lip. 

A fourth rose and draped itself over the curve of Hongbin’s muscled shoulder. It was a little different than the rest, which were about the diameter of two of Hongbin’s long, slender fingers. It was wider, thicker, redder. Salivating, Jaehwan moved forward to try to lick it and it lurched back, disappearing again. 

Scared, he pulled back but the rest of Hongbin was still there, under him, wrapped around him, touching him. 

“Not that one,” Hongbin whispered, and the tentacle that had been on his lips stroked Jaehwan’s jaw. 

“I want to kiss it,” Jaehwan whined. “I want to kiss all of them.”

“The rest are ok, but not that one, unless you want little Cetan’s running around.” 

“From just a kiss?” 

“Well, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure - how - exactly - it -” He flushed red to his ears. “It wasn’t something I ever asked my parents.”

“I won’t touch it,” Jaewhan promised. “Don’t want any little ones.”

“I know they make sheathes, I can get one for next time.” 

Jaehwan groaned at the thought of next time. The tentacles pulsating at the base of his cock relented and shifted to lightly dance up and down his rigid shaft. He closed his eyes and rocked into their touch. 

Fluttering his eyes open, he dropped his hands to touch them. They released his cock and began to dance around his fingers. Hongbin’s hands replaced them, one cupping his balls and the other palming at the underside of his cock, pressing it up against Jaehwan’s stomach and rocking. 

With his fingers he stroked up the length of the two tentacles to where they disappeared behind Hongbin’s back, under his shirt, up to where they met the rippling muscles of his back. 

Hongbin cried out, a high whine, and his whole body jerked as Jaewhan caressed his spine. He dropped his hands to the hem of Hongbin’s shirt and waited for Hongbin’s eyes to focus. “Can I?” he asked. 

Two tentacles curled around the hem of Hongbin’s shirt and, arms up, he ripped it off. 

Hongbin was well muscled, but slender, his nipples dark and hard. Jaehwan dropped his head to take one in his mouth and, hands still pressed to Hongbin’s back, pushed him forward, arching his chest up to be licked, nipped and sucked. Three of Hongbin’s tentacles tangled in his hair. There were hands on his cock again. 

Jaehwan traced a line of kisses over Hongbin’s chest, up to his shoulder, down his bicep. With a push he shifted Hongbin so he half turned. Jaehwan moved on the bed and guided Hongbin to lay on his stomach. He lay below Jaehwan, but he shoved his face into the bedsheets, hands up, fisted in the sheets, tentacles retreating to coil, tight and hard on his back, making themselves as small as possible.

“It’s ok,” Jaehwan whispered with a soothing croon. 

“Ok,” Hongbin repeated, but his body was still tense. 

Jaehwan started at the nape of his neck, slowly parting his long shaggy hair to press a kiss at the point behind his ear. He straddled Hongbin’s hips but arched his body so that no other part of them touched saved for his thighs over Hongbin’s round, pert ass, and his lips at Hongbin’s ear. 

“You’re gorgeous,” he said in a low voice, and kissed Hongbin’s shoulder, the back of his arm, back to his nape, then his shoulder blade. Just below the curve of the blade, on either side of his spine, lay the first pair of tentacles. The muscles around them bulged; they were tightly coiled. He kissed above and beside each one, careful not to touch them. 

Slowly, with each kiss, Hongbin began to ease, to relax. He moved lower down to the juncture of the second set, tracing around their bases with his tongue and humming his approval. They began to uncoil, the thicker one first. Gracefully, Hongbin moved it up and out of the way, extending it up over his shoulder to rest on the bed. 

Jaehwan took that as an invitation and pressed a chaste kiss over the other top tentacle, loosely coiled. Hongbin groaned and pressed it into Jaehwan’s mouth. Jaehwan moaned, an echo to Hongbin and began to rock his cock against Hongbin’s ass as he licked and sucked at the member filling his mouth.

Unleashed, the other two tentacles snaked down Jaehwan’s sides and began to stretch and pull at the elastic of his pants. Jaehwan froze and let them tug the pants over his aching cock. He leaked into the small of Hongbin’s back and Hongbin jerked against the bed. One of the tentacles dropped to glide over the tip of Jaehwan’s cock, then up to Hongbin’s lips.

Jaehwan’s brain fried as he watched Hongbin lap and suck at the tip, tasting Jaehwan’s precum.

“Fuck,” he said and pulled back to flip Hongbin over and kiss him, taste him, taste himself on Hongbin’s tongue.

He broke off for an agonizing moment to rip the rest of his clothes off and kneel at the edge of the bed, to mouth at Hongbin’s own erection. Hongbin slid off his own pants, his cock bouncing to hit Jaehwan in the chin. He dipped his head and took it into his mouth. Hongbin’s hands clamped onto Jaehwan’s head and pulled him down as his hips arched up. 

All three tentacles pulled at him, urging him back up to the bed and finally, they were both naked, wrapped in one another. Jaehwan licked and sucked Hongbin’s cock with abandon, eyes open and looking up at Hongbin who met his gaze for a moment before throwing his head back as he thrust up, hard and fast into Jaehwan’s mouth.

“Stars, it feels even better than I imagined.”

Jaehwan laughed, and pulled off for a moment to ease his jaw. Instantly his mouth was filled, the tips of all three tentacles filling his mouth, swirling around his tongue, over his lips, stroking his face. 

Hongbin pulled him up so he was on his knees, hovering above him. He kissed Hongbin’s lips, his jaw, his neck, then back to press his tongue deep into Hongbin Jaehwan lowered himself so his cock slid alongside Hongbin’s pressed tight between their bodies. 

There was a soft push and he felt a press between the cheeks of his ass. “Yes, please,” he begged, “please, do it.” 

Hongbin dropped the tentacle and pressed it against the rim of Jaewhan’s ass. He arched and thrust back, pushing himself onto it. 

“Greedy,” Hongbin teased.

“Fuck yes I am,” Jaehwan said. “Fuck.  _ Fuck _ . Fuckme.” He rotated his hips, lost in the slide of his cock against Hongbin’s, of the feeling of being filled. He was leaking and so close to coming. 

Hongbin’s hands were on either side of his face, stroking his jaw, his neck, pulling him close in for kisses. The other two tentacles pushed gently at his chest and he pulled back, just enough for them to slide between them. One wrapped itself around both his and Hongbin’s cocks, trapping them  together and slowly stroking up and down. 

“Stars, I’m going to come.” 

The tentacle in his ass pulsed and twisted, hitting his prostate and pulling a long cry from him. The third tentacle slid into his mouth to slick itself on his tongue. There was a gentle shifting as Hongbin’s legs parted just enough for the third tentacle, now slick, to slide down between their legs.

“Are you?” Jaehwan couldn’t even ask it.

Hongbin grinned at him, his hands coming up to cradled his face, his thumb pressed against his lips. He knew the exact moment Hongbin penetrated himself, seeing it in the euphoria in Hongbin’s eyes. 

Hongbin was everywhere, fucking him, filling him, stroking him, fucking himself. The hands on his face stroked him, so soft, where the tentacle around their cocks was fast, rough, hard. 

“Fuck, I’m, I’m-” His whole body tensed as the world exploded. He convulsed as he came in thick spurts over Hongbin’s chest. The tentacle stroking them kept going, wringing him dry, overwhelming him, pushing and just as he was about to cry out in pain, Hongbin rocked up under him, drawn out grown slipping from him as his come joined Jaehwan’s between them. 

The tentacles slid out of him, released him, held him up and gently lowered him until he was tucked in the crook under Hongbin’s arm. He drowsed, in a heady daze and came to a moment later, realizing a tentacle and a hand were slowly stroking up over his arm, his chest, his hair. 

“Wow, that - that was-”

Hongbin just hummed. Jaehwan brought a hand up to curl around the tentacle on his neck. He brought it to his lips and gave it a small peck. “These are nice.”

Hongbin laughed. “I’m a damn mess.” 

“I do good work.” Jaehwan preened. 

“Whatever, I did all the work.”

“It was proportional to our limbs,” Jaehwan drawled. 

There was a pounding at the door and both of them jerked to sit up. Hyuks voice came from the other side. “Now that you’re done, Hakyeon says to come out and finish cleaning the damn dishes.”

There was a pause. 

“Hakyeon says I have to tell you I added the damn.”

Jaehwan felt himself flush as red as Hongbin and they looked at one another. 

“Tell Hakyeon he can wait ‘til we’ve showered!” Hongbin shouted back. 


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: this and the previous chapter were posted simultaneously, so if you haven't read it yet, back up a chapter before reading this!

“Jaehwan, Hongbin, come in.” Heechul waved the pair in to his office. “Door open, closed?” he asked as Jaehwan and Hongbin seated themselves in front of his desk. 

“Closed,” Hongbin said before Jaehwan could speak but he looked at Jaehwan for confirmation. 

“Yeah, closed would be good,” Jaehwan agreed. 

Heechul closed the door then sat at his desk. “So what can I do for you?”

“So, um,” Jaehwan began. “Hakyeon said, that, um-”

“We need to declare our relationship,” Hongbin said. 

Heechul’s brows rose and he looked back and forth between them. 

“Hakyeon said that ship-relationships have to be declared to our superiors to ensure no conflicts of interest, that’s what he and Leo had to do at least,” Jaehwan explained. “We figured that would mean you.”

Heechul chuckled. “Hakyeon could have sent that information on up but I’ll be happy to document that for you.”

There was a nudge at Jaehwan’s fingers and he looked down to see Hongbin’s hand hovering above his. Smiling, Jaehwan laced their fingers together. “Yeah, we’d like that.”

“You know, when I assigned you to the mollusks I was only hoping you’d start to get along, this is a bit more than Hakyeon and I had planned for.”

Jaehwan gaped. “You - you put us together on purpose?”

Heechul nodded. “Oldest trick in the book. Hakyeon let me know you two weren’t getting along, so for the sake of ship harmony, we - uh - tied you two together, metaphorically. Usually it works pretty well to get people to at least get along. Hard to stay angry at someone when you have to watch them breed mollusks at midnight.” He laughed.

“I can’t believe this,” Hongbin said with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. 

“Wait,” Jaehwan said, sitting forward. “While I like how this all turned out, did you really have to send people to sexually harass Hongbin for the sake of ship unity?”

Hongbin stiffened and stared at Jaehwan. Heechul’s face went instantly serious. “What are you talking about? I didn’t-”

“It’s nothing,” Hongbin said in a rush. 

“No, Hongbin,” Heechul said, and there was murder in his eyes. “What sexual harassment are you talking about?” Jaehwan was going to demur out of respect for Hongbin’s obvious discomfort but Heechul’s hyper-focused glare threatened to spontaneously ignite him where he sat. 

“Um-” He looked to Hongbin in apology and pleaded silently for help. Again, his foot had cemented itself firmly in his mouth. Hongbin gave him a little smile of understanding but there was a hardness in his eyes that promised Jaehwan would have to do more  _ listening _ later.

“A couple researchers accosted me in the tank-room,” Hongbin admitted, finally. “It was when we did one of the breedings. Jae shut them down, though, and they haven’t  _ said _ anything since.”

“Give me their names,  _ now _ .” 

Jaehwan gave Hongbin’s hand a reassuring squeeze and let him speak, sure that Heechul would turn his wrath on the offenders. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks! Thank you so much to all who commented, you really made this experience a delight. I haven't written much for this fandom but y'all were awesome. Hopefully, the original prompter comes upon this fic and is pleased. If you read this, drop me a message and let me know what you think! Thank you so much for such an inspiring prompt.


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